CAPTURED    BY   THE 
NAVAJOS 

•or 

CAPTAIN    CHARLES    A.CURTIS,    U.S. A, 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


c  I 


1 


BY 

CAPTAIN  CHARLES  A.  CURTIS 

U.S.A. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS  PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1904,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHKKS. 

PRINTED  IN  THE  UNIT«O  STATES  OF  AMERICA 
D-Y 


3,5  <2  5 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAO» 

I.  INTRODUCES  THE  BOYS       .......  r 

II.  ATTACKED  BY  NAVAJOS      .......  22 

III.  WARLIKE  PUEBLOS    .........  $& 

IV.  IN  A  NAVAJO  TRAP  .........  52 

V.  A  SIEGE  AND  AN  AMBUSCADE     .....  66 

VI.  CROSSING  THE  RIVER     ........  8) 

VII.  A  SWOLLEN  STREAM  AND  STOLEN  PONY.     .  97 

VIII.  OVER  THE  DIVIDE—  A  CORPORAL  MISSING      .  na 

IX.  THE  RESCUING  PARTY  ........  131 

X.  THE  CORPORALS  ARE  PROMOTED      ....  148 

XI.  BOTH  PONIES  ARE  STOLEN     ......  162 

XII.  INDIANS  ON  THE  WAR-PATH  ......  178 

XIII.  THE  BOY  SERGEANTS  Do  GOOD  SERVICE    .     .  196 

XIV.  ON  THE  DESERT  WITHOUT  WATER      .     .     .  210 

XV.  THE  PONIES  ARE  FOUND  .......  227 

XVI.  APACHES  IN  SKULL  VALLEY  ......  246 

XVII.  PURSUIT  OF  THE  APACHES      ......  258 

XVIII.  ON  THE  TRAIL  OF  THE  APACHES     ....  271 

XIX.  THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  APACHE  CAMP  .  281 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"EVERY  ONE  HELD  HIS  RIFLE  IN  READINESS  TO 

SHOOT  THE  ESCAPING   APACHES"    .    .    .     Frontispiece 

"MOUNTED,  THE  BOYS  PRESENTED  A  WARLIKE 

APPEARANCE" Facing  /».    88 

"CORPORAL  HENRY  ASKED  CAPTAIN  BAYARD  TO 

INQUIRE  FOR  MANUEL  PEREA"    ....  122 

"'GOD  HAS  GIVEN  ME  AMONG  MANY  FRIENDS, 

TWO  THAT  ARE  SOMETHING  MORE"'    .    .  154 


CAPTURED  BY  THE  NAVAJOS 


INTRODUCES   THE    BOYS 

IT  was  late  in  the  fall  of  the  second  year  of 
the  civil  war  that  I  rejoined  my  company  at 
Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  from  detached  service 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  boom  of  the 
sunrise  gun  awoke  me  on  the  morning  after  my 
arrival,  and  I  hastened  to  attend  reveille  roll- 
call.  As  I  descended  the  steps  of  the  officers' 
quarters  the  men  of  the  four  companies  compos 
ing  the  garrison  were  forming  into  line  before 
their  barracks.  Details  from  the  guard,  which 
had  just  fired  the  gun  and  hoisted  the  national 
colors,  were  returning  to  the  guard-house,  and 
the  officers  were  hastening  to  their  places. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony  I  turned 
again  towards  my  quarters,  and  noticed  two 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

handsome  boys,  evidently  aged  about  fifteen  and 
thirteen,  dressed  in  a  modification  of  the  in 
fantry  uniform  of  the  army,  and  wearing  cor 
porals'  chevrons.  They  stood  near  the  regimen 
tal  adjutant,  and  seemed  to  be  reporting  their 
presence  to  him. 

At  breakfast,  the  adjutant  chancing  to  sit 
near  me,  I  asked  him  who  the  youthful  soldiers 
were. 

"They  are  the  sons  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Burton,  Corporals  Frank  and  Henry,"  he  re 
plied.  "They  hold  honorary  rank,  and  are 
attached  to  headquarters,  acting  as  messengers 
and  performing  some  light  clerical  work." 

"How  do  they  happen  to  be  in  Santa  Fe?" 

"Mother  recently  died  in  the  East,  and  the 
colonel  had  them  sent  here  in  charge  of  a  tutor 
who  is  to  fit  them  for  college,  I  believe." 

Later,  on  the  same  day,  being  desirous  of 
looking  over  this  ancient  Indian  and  Mexican 
town,  I  was  making  a  pedestrian  tour  of  its 
streets,  and  chanced  to  be  opposite  San  Miguel 
School  in  the  eastern  section  during  the  pupils' 
recess.  Half  a  dozen  boys  were  engaged  in 
throwing  the  lasso  over  the  posts  of  the  enclosing 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

fence,  when  suddenly  from  a  side  street  appeared 
the  young  corporals  whom  I  had  seen  at  reveille. 

The  Mexican  boys  instantly  greeted  them  with 
derisive  shouts  and  jeers.  They  called  them  lit 
tle  Gringos  and  other  opprobrious  names,  and 
one  young  Mexican  threw  the  loop  of  his  lasso 
over  the  smaller  corporal's  head  and  jerked  him 
off  his  feet.  His  companions  laughed  loudly. 
The  older  corporal  instantly  pulled  out  his  knife 
and  cut  the  rope.  Then  the  two  brothers  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  facing  the  crowd,  quite 
ready  to  defend  themselves.  The  young  Mexi 
cans,  gesticulating  and  shouting,  crowded  round 
the  two  brothers,  and  blows  appeared  imminent. 

"Muchachos,"  suddenly  cried  a  ringing  voice 
from  the  rear,  in  Spanish,  "  are  you  not  ashamed? 
A  hundred  against  two!" 

A  handsome  lad  forced  his  way  through  the 
crowd,  placed  himself  beside  the  two  corporals, 
and  faced  his  young  countrymen.  Before  the 
Mexicans  recovered  from  their  surprise  the  bell 
of  San  Miguel  summoned  them  to  school.  They 
hurried  away,  leaving  the  two  corporals  with  the 
young  Mexican  who  had  come  to  their  assistance. 

"My  name  is  Frank  Burton,"  said  the  older 

3 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

corporal,  extending  his  hand  to  the  Mexican, 
"and  this  is  my  brother,  Henry." 

The  Mexican  boy  grasped  the  proffered  hand, 
and  said,  "My  name  is  Manuel  Perea,  of  Algo- 
dones." 

"We  are  the  sons  of  the  commanding  officer 
at  the  fort.  Can't  you  come  and  see  us  next 
holiday?" 

"  I  should  much  like  to ;  I  will  ask  the  fathers 
if  I  may." 

"Come  over,  and  we  will  try  to  make  your 
visit  pleasant." 

"How  well  you  speak  Spanish!  It  will  be  a 
great  pleasure  to  visit  American  boys  who  can 
speak  my  language,  for  I  know  but  few  English 
words." 

"Next  Saturday,  then?" 

"  At  ten  o'clock,  if  the  padres  consent.  Good 
bye,"  and  Manuel  disappeared  into  the  school 
room. 

The  following  Saturday  I  saw  the  two  corpo 
rals  and  their  newly  acquired  companion  at  the 
post  and  at  dinner  in  the  mess-room,  and  a  friend 
ship  was  then  formed  which  was  to  continue  for 
many  years. 

4 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

One  evening,  nearly  a  month  afterwards,  I  re 
ceived  an  order  to  march  my  company  into  the 
Jemez  Mountains  to  co-operate  with  other  de 
tached  commands  in  a  war  being  carried  on 
against  the  Navajo  Indians.  Just  as  I  had  laid 
aside  the  order  after  reading  it,  Colonel  Burton 
entered,  and,  taking  a  seat  by  my  fireside,  an 
nounced  that  he  had  been  ordered  on  detached 
service  to  northern  Colorado,  on  a  tour  of  inspec 
tion,  which  would  require  him  to  be  absent  for  a 
considerable  period,  and  that  he  had  been  think 
ing  of  allowing  his  sons  to  accompany  me  to  my 
camp  at  Los  Valles  Grandes. 

"  The  hunting  and  fishing  are  fine  in  those  val 
leys,  and  Frank  and  Henry  would  enjoy  life  there 
very  much,"  he  said.  "  They  have  done  so  well 
in  their  studies  that  they  deserve  a  well-earned 
recreation." 

"  I  should  much  like  to  have  their  company, 
sir,"  I  replied,  "but  would  it  not  be  exposing 
them  to  great  danger  from  the  Indians?" 

"  The  officer  whom  you  are  to  relieve  has  been 
in  the  valleys  nearly  a  year,  and  he  reports  that 
he  has  not  seen  a  Navajo  in  all  that  time.  Of 
course,  it  may  ^be  your  fortune  to  meet  them, 

5 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

but  I  do  not  think  so.  If  you  do,  then  the  boys 
must  give  a  good  account  of  themselves.  In  any 
engagement  that  involves  the  whole  command 
they  must  not  forget  they  are  the  sons  of  a  sol 
dier.  Still,  I  do  not  want  them  needlessly  ex 
posed.  You  are  quite  sure  it  will  give  you  no 
trouble  to  take  them?" 

"  Few  things  could  afford  me  greater  pleasure 
on  such  isolated  duty,  sir.  They  will  be  good 
company  for  me." 

"  Thank  you  for  your  kindness.  The  lads  will 
report  to  you  to-morrow  morning.  I  will  see  that 
they  are  properly  fitted  out,  and  will  write  you 
now  and  then  during  my  absence,  and  as  soon  as 
I  return  to  Santa  Fe  they  can  be  sent  back." 

Colonel  Burton  then  took  his  departure,  and  I 
turned  to  a  local  history  to  learn  from  its  pages 
something  of  the  tribe  with  which  I  might  be 
brought  in  contact. 

The  home  of  the  Navajos  lay  between  the  Rio 
Grande  del  Norte  on  the  east,  the  Rio  Colorado 
on  the  west,  the  Rio  San  Juan  on  the  north,  and 
the  Rio  Colorado  Chiquito  on  the  south,  but 
from  time  immemorial  they  had  roamed  a  con 
siderable  distance  beyond  these  borders. 

6 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

They  had  always  been  known  as  a  pastoral 
race,  raising  flocks  and  herds,  and  tilling  the  soil. 
They  owned,  at  the  time  we  began  war  upon 
them,  sheep  and  ponies  by  the  thousand,  and 
raised  large  quantities  of  corn,  wheat,  beans,  and 
other  products. 

They  numbered  between  twelve  and  fifteen 
thousand,  and  could  put  three  thousand  mount 
ed  warriors  in  the  field.  They  were  industrious, 
the  men  doing  all  the  hard  work  instead  of  put 
ting  it  upon  the  women,  as  do  the  Indians  of  the 
plains  and  all  of  the  marauding  tribes.  They 
manufactured  their  wearing  apparel,  and  made 
their  own  weapons,  such  as  bows,  arrows,  and 
lances.  They  wove  beautiful  blankets,  often 
very  costly,  and  knit  woollen  stockings,  and 
dressed  in  greater  comfort  than  did  most  other 
tribes.  In  addition  to  a  somewhat  brilliant  cos 
tume,  they  wore  numerous  strings  of  fine  coral, 
shells,  and  many  ornaments  of  silver,  and  usually 
appeared  in  cool  weather  with  a  handsome 
blanket  thrown  over  the  shoulders. 

The  Navajos  and  the  New  Mexicans  were  al 
most  continually  at  war.  Expeditions  were  fre 
quently  fitted  out  in  the  border  towns  by  the 

7 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

class  of  New  Mexicans  who  possessed  no  land  or 
stock,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  capturing  the 
flocks  and  herds  of  the  Navajos.  The  Indians 
retaliated  in  kind,  making  raids  upon  the  settle 
ments  and  pasture  lands,  and  driving  off  sheep, 
horses,  and  cattle  to  the  mountains.  Com 
plaints  were  made  by  the  property-holders,  and 
war  was  declared  against  the  Indians. 

The  military  department  of  New  Mexico  was 
in  fine  condition  to  carry  on  a  successful  war. 
Besides  our  regiment  of  regular  infantry,  it  had 
two  regiments  of  California  volunteer  infantry 
and  one  regiment  each  of  California  and  New 
Mexican  cavalry. 

The  Navajo  upon  the  war-path  was  terribly 
in  earnest,  and  his  methods  of  waging  war  were 
like  those  of  the  redman  everywhere.  With  the 
knowledge  that  the  American  soldier  was  an  ally 
of  his  old-time  enemy,  and  that  the  Mexican  was 
wearing  the  uniform  of  the  "Great  Father,"  he 
no  longer  hesitated  to  look  upon  us  as  his  ene 
mies  also,  and  resolved  to  combat  us  up  to  the 
very  walls  of  our  posts. 

No  road  in  the  Territory  was  safe  to  the  trav 
eller;  no  train  dared  move  without  an  escort. 

8 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Towns  were  raided,  and  women  and  children  car 
ried  into  captivity.  Frightful  cases  of  mutila 
tion  and  torture  were  constantly  occurring  in 
the  mountain  fastnesses.  Troops  took  the  field, 
and  prosecuted  with  vigilance  a  war  in  which 
there  was  little  glory  and  plenty  of  suffering  and 
hard  service. 

Every  band  of  Indians  captured  was  taken  to 
the  Bosque  Rodondo,  on  the  Rio  Pecos,  where  a 
large  fort  had  been  established.  It  was  occupied 
by  a  strong  garrison  of  infantry  and  cavalry. 

I  had  found  social  life  in  Santa  F6  very  pleas 
ant  during  my  brief  stay  there,  so  I  was  not  over 
joyed  when  I  received  the  order  to  march  my 
company  to  Los  Valles  Grandes,  there  to  relieve 
the  California  company  already  referred  to.  But 
the  order  being  peremptory,  we  packed  our  bag 
gage  during  the  first  hours  of  the  night,  and  were 
on  the  road  soon  after  daybreak. 

It  was  the  3d  of  October  when  the  boy  cor 
porals  and  myself,  mounted  on  sturdy  Mexican 
ponies,  rode  out  of  Fort  Marcy  for  our  new  sta 
tion,  one  hundred  miles  due  west.  The  regi 
mental  band  escorted  the  company  through  the 
plaza  and  for  a  mile  on  our  way,  playing,  after 

9 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

immemorial  custom,  "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind 
Me,"  and  adding,  I  thought  with  a  vein  of  irony, 
"Ain't  Ye  Glad  You've  Got  Out  th'  Wilder 
ness?" 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  after  four  days 
of  gradual  and  constant  ascent  from  the  valley 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  which  we  had  forded  at  San 
Ildefonso,  we  began  the  slower  ascent  of  the  most 
difficult  portion  of  our  march. 

The  woods  were  full  of  wild  turkeys  and  moun 
tain  grouse,  made  fat  on  the  pine-nuts,  and  Frank 
and  Henry  and  the  soldier  huntsmen  secured  a 
generous  supply  for  our  first  meal  in  our  new 
military  home. 

It  took  us  from  early  morning  until  noon  of 
the  last  day's  march  to  reach  the  highest  point 
of  the  road.  What  with  the  frequent  halts  for 
the  men  to  fasten  a  rope  to  the  wagon-poles  and 
aid  the  severely  taxed  mules  up  the  steepest 
places,  to  fill  gullies  and  sloughs  with  stones  and 
brush,  to  pry  mired  wheels  up  to  firm  ground,  and 
repair  broken  harnesses  and  wagons,  we  were  over 
half  a  day  in  going  a  distance  which  could  have 
been  accomplished  in  two  hours  by  soldiers  un 
encumbered  with  a  baggage  and  supply  train. 

10 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  downward  march  on  the  western  slope  of 
the  mountain-range  was  rapidly  made  over  a 
smooth  road  through  a  continuous  avenue  of 
overarching  forest  trees,  and  without  a  halt. 
From  the  lower  limit  of  the  forest  we  caught  the 
first  glimpse  of  the  Great  Valleys.  The  valley 
before  us  was  fourteen  miles  long,  and  of  a  nearly 
uniform  width  of  eight  miles.  It  was  almost 
surrounded  by  mountains;  in  fact,  while  there 
were  many  trails  leading  out  of  it,  there  was 
but  one  practicable  wagon-road — that  by  which 
we  had  entered.  But  at  the  southern  extremity 
there  was  a  precipitous  canon,  through  which 
flowed  a  considerable  stream.  To  the  west  was 
another  canon,  a  dry  one,  called  La  Puerta — 
the  doorway — which  led  into  the  second  valley, 
called  the  Valley  of  San  Antonio. 

The  Great  Valley,  on  the  eastern  edge  of 
which  I  had  halted  the  company  for  a  few  mo 
ments'  rest  and  observation,  was  lower  through 
the  centre  than  at  the  sides.  It  was  not  unlike 
an  oblong  platter,  and  was  absolutely  treeless, 
except  that  opposite  us  a  bold,  pine-clad  point 
jutted  out  from  the  western  mountain-range 
about  three  miles,  like  a  headland  into  the  sea. 

IT 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  whole  valley  was  verdant  with  thick  grass. 
The  two  boys,  sitting  on  their  ponies  a  few  yards 
in  advance  of  the  company  line,  were  in  raptures 
over  the  prospect. 

"This  is  the  first  bit  of  country  I've  seen  in 
New  Mexico  that  looks  like  Vermont,"  said  Frank. 

"Yes,  and  what  a  change  in  the  space  of  a 
few  miles!"  observed  Henry.  "On  the  opposite 
side  of  this  range  were  only  bunch-grass,  cactus, 
and  sand,  and  here  we  have  fine  turf  and  waving 
grass.  What  are  those  objects  in  that  farther 
corner,  sir?"  he  continued,  turning  to  me  and 
pointing  to  the  southwest.  "Look  like  deer  or 
grazing  cattle." 

"There  is  a  small  herd  of  deer  there,  sure 
enough,"  I  replied,  after  making  out  the  objects 
through  my  glass.  "  We  shall  not  want  for  ven 
ison  if  we  have  good  luck  with  our  rifles." 

"Deer,  antelope,  turkeys,  ducks,  geese,  sand 
hill  crane,  and  trout !"  exclaimed  Frank.  "  We've 
hit  a  hunter's  paradise." 

"And  bears  and  catamounts,  too,  I  suspect," 
said  Henry,  looking  a  little  lugubrious. 

"My,  but  wouldn't  I  like  to  kill  a  bear!"  said 
Frank. 

12 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Well,  I  don't  believe  I  shall  hunt  for  one,  and 
I  hope  a  bear  won't  hunt  for  me,"  said  the  young 
er  lad.  "I'll  be  satisfied  with  turkeys,  grouse, 
ducks,  and  trout." 

Six  miles  due  west,  a  little  south  of  the  wooded 
point,  detached  from  it  about  half  a  mile,  we 
perceived  a  line  of  small  cabins,  which  we  inferred 
was  the  volunteer  encampment.  They  stretched 
across  a  little  level  space,  enclosed  by  a  gently 
sloping  ridge  of  horseshoe  shape.  The  ridge,  in 
fact,  proved  to  be  of  that  shape  when  we  ex 
amined  it  later.  The  row  of  sixteen  cabins 
stretched  across  the  curve,  and  looked  out  of  the 
opening  towards  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley. 
Fifty  yards  in  front  of  the  cabins,  running  across 
the  horseshoe  from  heel  to  heel,  flowed  a  crystal 
stream  of  water  twenty  feet  wide  and  two  feet 
deep,  which  rose  from  forty -two  springs  near  the 
northern  end  of  the  valley.  The  ridge  enclosing 
the  encampment  was  nowhere  more  than  twenty- 
five  feet  above  the  level  parade. 

The  cabins  were  built  of  pine  logs  laid  up  hori 
zontally,  flanked  on  the  north  by  the  kitchen  and 
stable,  and  on  the  south  by  a  storehouse.  Be 
hind  the  cabins,  at  the  centre  of  the  horseshoe 

13 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

curve,  two- thirds  the  way  up  the  slope  of  the 
ridge,  and  overlooking  the  encampment  from  its 
rear,  stood  the  guard-house,  in  front  of  which 
paced  a  sentinel. 

Resuming  our  march,  a  brisk  step  soon  brought 
us  to  the  encampment.  At  the  brook  before  the 
parade  I  was  met  by  the  volunteer  officers,  who 
did  not  disguise  their  joy  at  the  prospect  of  leav 
ing  what  they  considered  a  life  of  unbearable 
exile.  Even  before  the  customary  civilities  were 
passed,  the  captain  asked  me  if  my  animals  were 
in  a  condition  to  warrant  his  loading  the  wagons 
with  his  company  property  as  soon  as  I  unloaded 
mine,  as  he  wished  to  make  an  evening's  march 
towards  Santa  Fe". 

I  told  him  I  thought  they  were,  provided  he 
took  the  two  wagons  belonging  to  the  camp  in 
addition,  so  that  the  loads  would  be  light.  He 
approved  of  my  suggestion,  and  promised  to  send 
back  the  wagons  as  soon  as  he  reached  Fort 
Marcy. 

The  wood-yard  being  well  supplied  with  fuel, 
I  saw  no  reason  why  the  wagons  and  mules  could 
not  be  spared  the  ten  days  necessary  to  make 
the  round  trip. 

14 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

One  reason  for  doing  all  I  could  to  facilitate 
the  immediate  departure  of  the  Californians  was 
that  my  men  were  anxious  to  move  into  the 
cabins  at  once. 

With  my  first  glance  at  the  encampment,  it 
had  seemed  to  me  too  open  to  surprise.  The  ad 
jacent  forest-clad  point  crept  up  near  the  left 
flank,  offering  an  effectual  screen  to  an  attacking 
party,  and  the  overlooking  sentinel  at  the  guard 
house  did  not  have  a  range  of  vision  to  the  rear 
of  more  than  fifty  yards.  He  was  not  on  the 
summit  of  the  ridge  by  at  least  half  that  distance, 
and  walked  along  the  side  of  the  guard-house 
next  the  cabins.  He  could  see  nothing  of  the 
surface  of  the  valley  to  the  west  of  the  ridge,  and 
when  passing  along  the  front  of  the  building, 
as  he  paced  backward  and  forward,  he  saw 
nothing  to  the  rear  of  his  beat. 

I  expressed  my  opinion  of  the  situation  to  the 
volunteer  captain,  but  he  replied,  "Pshaw!  you 
might  as  well  take  the  sentinel  off,  for  all  the 
good  he  does  as  a  lookout  for  Indians." 

"Have  you  seen  none?" 

"  Not  a  solitary  moccasin,  except  an  occasional 
Pueblo,  since  I've  been  here — eleven  months." 

IS 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"'I  suppose  you  have  scouted  the  country 
thoroughly?" 

"There  isn't  a  trail  within  thirty  miles  that  I 
do  not  know.  These  bundles  of  wolf-skins  and 
other  pelts  you  see  going  into  the  wagons  are 
pretty  good  evidence  that  my  men  know  the 
country." 

We  walked  to  the  kitchen,  and  found,  hanging 
on  the  walls  of  the  store-room,  a  dozen  quarters 
of  venison,  the  fat  carcass  of  a  bear,  and  several 
bunches  of  fowl. 

"  We  are  not  obliged  to  kill  our  cattle  to  supply 
the  men  with  meat,"  added  the  captain.  "We 
butcher  only  when  we  need  a  change  from  wild 
meat." 

"I  saw  from  the  edge  of  the  valley  where  I 
entered  it  that  you  have  deer." 

"  Pretty  much  everything  but  buffalo  is 
here." 

"I  hear  your  brook  is  full  of  fish." 

"There's  where  you  make  a  mistake,"  he  re 
plied.  "  There  is  not  a  fish  in  this  valley.  The 
water  is  spring  water,  and  must  possess  some 
mineral  property  distasteful  to  trout,  for  they 
never  run  up  here.  In  San  Antonio  Valley,  six 

16 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

miles  to  the  west,  in  a  brook  less  clear  than  this, 
you  can  catch  them  by  the  cart-load." 

"I  suppose  you  intend  to  take  this  venison 
with  you?" 

"  Not  if  you  will  accept  the  gift  of  all  but  a  few 
quarters,  which  we  will  take  for  friends  in  the 
city." 

"  Thank  you  and  your  men.  It  will  be  a  treat 
to  us,  and  keep  us  going  until  we  can  put  in  a 
hunt  on  our  own  account." 

We  went  back  to  the  parade,  and  stood  look 
ing  at  the  surrounding  mountains  in  the  deepen 
ing  twilight. 

"  What  other  ways  are  there  in  and  out  of  the 
valley,  besides  the  one  which  we  entered?"  I 
asked. 

"Well,  on  the  east  and  south  sides  there  is  a 
trail  between  the  peaks,  four  in  all,  and  one 
good  bridle-path  to  the  Pueblo  of  Jemez.  That 
descends  from  the  valley  level  to  the  Jemez 
River  bottom,  a  drop  of  nearly  three  thousand 
feet,  in  a  distance  of  three  miles,  zigzagging  twice 
that  distance." 

"And  to  the  west  and  north?" 

"  To  the  north  there  is  a  trail  to  Abiquiu,  rarely 
17 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

used,  and  to  the  west  there  is  only  La  Puerta, 
into  which  all  the  other  trails  from  the  east  and 
south  concentrate.  It  is  to  watch  La  Puerta 
that  this  camp  was  established." 

"And  you  say  you  have  seen  no  Navajos  or 
signs  of  them  since  you  came?" 

"Yes,  plenty  of  signs,  but  no  Indians.  Par 
ties  have  passed  here  in  the  night,  but  none  were 
driving  stock." 

I  learned  all  I  could  of  the  captain  while  his 
men  hurried  their  baggage  into  the  wagons,  but 
he  was  too  much  excited  over  the  prospect  of 
leaving  the  Great  Valleys,  as  well  as  curious  to 
know  of  events  in  Santa  Fe,  to  give  me  much 
information.  When  the  guard  of  regulars  re 
lieved  the  volunteer  guard,  I  placed  my  sentinel 
on  a  beat  a  dozen  yards  in  rear  of  the  guard 
house,  which  enabled  him  to  see  several  hundred 
yards  back  of  the  ridge,  and  yet  not  show  him 
self  prominently  to  an  approaching  foe. 

The  volunteers  at  last  marched  away,  and  I 
made  a  casual  examination  of  the  cabins.  I 
noticed  that  the  inner  surface  of  the  log  walls  had 
been  hewn  smooth,  and  the  names,  company, 
and  regiment  of  the  former  occupants  had  been 

18 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

carved  with  knives  or  burned  in  with  hot  pokers 
along  the  upper  courses.  Each  had  a  wide,  open, 
stone  fireplace  and  chimney  set  in  one  corner, 
after  the  Mexican  fashion. 

No  uniform  design  had  been  observed  in  the 
construction  of  the  cabins,  the  occupants  having 
followed  their  own  ideas  of  what  would  prove 
comfortable.  Height,  width,  and  depth  were 
variable,  but  their  fronts  were  in  perfect  align 
ment. 

The  hut  which  had  been  occupied  by  the  offi 
cers  and  which  fell  to  the  boys  and  myself  was 
at  the  right  of  the  line,  next  the  storehouse,  a 
little  removed  from  the  others.  It  was  twenty 
by  twenty  feet,  partitioned  on  one  side  into 
two  alcoves  in  which  were  rude  bedsteads,  one 
of  which  was  assigned  to  the  boys  and  one  to 
myself.  A  door  opened  on  the  south  side,  and  a 
window,  the  only  glass  one  in  camp,  looked  out 
upon  the  parade.  Floors  in  all  the  cabins  were 
of  earth,  raised  a  foot  higher  than  the  outside 
surface  of  the  ground,  smoothed  with  a  trowel 
and  carpeted  with  blankets,  until  later,  when 
skins  of  wild  animals  took,  their  place.  Doors 
were  made  of  puncheons,  swung  on  wooden 

19 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

hinges  and  fastened  with  wooden  latches  oper 
ated  by  latch-strings. 

Our  first  day  in  camp  was  principally  spent  in 
making  ourselves  comfortable.  The  men  were 
busy  in  filling  bed-sacks  from  the  hay-stacks, 
and  in  repairing  the  cabins  and  articles  of  fur 
niture.  Ten  head  of  beef  cattle  had  been  turned 
over  to  me  with  the  other  property  of  the  camp. 
I  had  placed  them  in  charge  of  a  soldier,  with 
orders  to  herd  them  in  the  valley  immediately  in 
front  of  the  opening,  where  they  could  be  plainly 
seen  from  the  parade  as  well  as  the  guard-house. 

At  noon  two  Mexican  hunters,  father  and  son, 
rode  up  to  my  door,  the  former  mounted  on  a 
mule  and  the  latter  on  a  burro,  or  donkey.  The 
elder  said  their  names  were  Jose  and  Manuel 
Cordova,  of  Canoncito,  that  they  were  looking 
for  deer,  and  would  like  permission  to  make  the 
camp  their  place  of  rendezvous.  I  gave  them 
permission  to  do  so,  and  their  animals  were 
turned  loose  with  our  stock. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  boy 
corporals  and  myself,  tired  with  our  work  of  re 
pairing  and  arranging  quarters,  sat  down  to  a 
lunch  of  broiled  grouse. 

20 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

We  were  busily  picking  the  last  bones  when 
we  were  startled  by  loud  shouts.  Quickly  run 
ning  to  the  centre  of  the  parade,  where  the  men 
were  rapidly  assembling  with  their  arms,  I  saw 
the  soldier-herdsman  coming  towards  camp  as 
fast  as  he  could  run,  waving  his  hat  and  shout 
ing.  Behind  him  the  steers  were  running  in  the 
opposite  direction,  driven  by  six  Indians  on  foot. 
They  were  waking  the  echoes  with  their  war- 
whoops. 


II 

ATTACKED   BY   NAVAJOS 

THE  six  Navajos  made  no  attempt  to  shoot 
the  herder,  although  for  some  time  he  was  within 
easy  rifle  range.  They  contented  themselves  with 
driving  the  cattle  towards  the  southern  section 
of  the  valley. 

At  the  first  alarm  Sergeant  Cunningham  got 
the  men  into  line  without  a  moment's  delay. 
He  had  hardly  counted  off  when  the  report  of 
the  sentinel's  rifle  was  heard,  followed  by  his 
shouting,  excitedly,  "Indians!  Indians!  This 
way!  This  way!" 

In  the  direction  of  the  guard-house  I  saw  the 
sentinel  and  guard  getting  into  line  with  great 
rapidity.  They  were  gesticulating  wildly  to  us. 
Frank  Burton,  who  was  standing  near  me,  shout 
ed,  "  Henry,  get  your  carbine  and  fall  in  with  me 
on  the  left!" 

"Don't   expose   yourselves,    boys,"    I    said. 

22 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"The  colonel  told  me  to  keep  you  out  of  dan 
ger." 

"We  are  needed,  sir,"  answered  Frank, 
promptly,  and  the  two  youngsters  instantly 
placed  themselves  on  the  left  of  the  line. 

I  broke  the  company  to  the  rear  through  the 
intervals  between  the  cabins.  The  men  had 
only  the  marching  allowance  of  ten  rounds  of 
ammunition,  so  I  had  a  couple  of  boxes  broken 
open  with  an  axe,  and  cartridges  were  distrib 
uted  to  them.  The  two  Mexicans  joined  us,  and 
steadily  and  rapidly  we  advanced  up  the  slope 
to  unite  with  the  guard. 

Scarcely  two  hundred  yards  distant  we  saw  a 
compact  body  of  over  three  hundred  Indians. 
They  were  charging  down  upon  us,  and  with  a 
general  and  frightful  war-whoop  they  began  fir 
ing. 

We  deployed  as  skirmishers.  The  men  fired 
by  volleys,  sheltering  themselves  behind  bowl 
ders,  logs,  and  ridges. 

Instantly,  at  the  head  of  the  mounted  column, 
there  was  an  emptying  of  saddles.  The  onset 
was  suddenly  checked,  and  the  Indians  broke  into 
two  divisions.  Part  of  the  force  swept  along  the 

23 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

outer  side  of  the  horseshoe  ridge  to  the  south, 
and  the  other  part  wheeled  round  to  the  north. 

I  met  the  attack  by  dividing  my  men  into  two 
divisions.  The  men  moved  along  the  interior 
slopes,  firing  as  they  ran,  and  kept  pace  with  the 
ponies  running  to  the  extremities. 

The  Navajos  had  lost  twenty  men.  A  chief, 
who  had  been  in  the  front  of  the  fight  throughout, 
had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  holding  them  in 
close  column. 

"That  is  the  great  chief,  El  Ebano,"  cried  the 
elder  Cordova,  as  he  put  his  gun  to  his  shoulder. 
Taking  careful  aim  at  the  gray -haired  leader,  he 
fired,  and  one  of  the  most  famous  chieftains  of 
the  Navajos  rolled  from  his  saddle.  The  beauti 
ful  black  horse  he  had  been  riding  ran  on  tow 
ards  us.  With  El  Ebano  dead,  the  Indians  were 
dismayed.  A  moment  later  they  were  in  full 
retreat,  and  joined  their  comrades  who  had 
stolen  our  cattle. 

Our  casualties  were  few.  Sergeant  Cunning 
ham's  scalp  had  been  grazed  along  the  left  side, 
Private  Tom  Clary  had  the  lobe  of  an  ear  cut, 
Privates  Hoey  and  Evans  were  wounded  along 

24 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  ribs,  and  Corporal  Frank  Burton  had  a  bul 
let  wound  in  the  right  shoulder. 

The  Indians  had  gathered  in  a  compact  body 
about  three  miles  to  the  southward,  evidently 
holding  a  council  of  war.  Reflecting  that  they 
would  not  be  likely  to  repeat  their  attack  im 
mediately,  I  walked  out  with  the  first  sergeant 
and  a  few  of  the  men  to  note  what  casual 
ties  had  befallen  the  enemy,  and  learn  if  there 
were  any  wounded  men  in  need  of  assist 
ance. 

As  I  neared  the  place  where  the  charge  had 
been  checked,  I  met  Corporal  Frank  Burton  lead 
ing  a  black  pony,  gently  stroking  his  nose  and 
talking  soothingly  to  him,  while  the  animal  seem 
ed  half  divided  between  fear  and  newly  awak 
ened  confidence. 

"Oh,  isn't  he  a  beauty,  sir!"  exclaimed  the 
boy — "isn't  he  just  a  perfect  beauty!" 

"He  certainly  is  a  very  handsome  horse,"  I 
answered,  after  walking  around  him  and  taking 
in  all  his  graces  and  points.  "Take  him  to  the 
stable  and  we  will  see  to  what  use  we  can  put 
him." 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to 
25 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

own  him,  sir?"  inquired  the  boy,  in  an  anxious 
voice. 

"As  spoil  of  war,  corporal?" 

"  I  suppose  so,  sir.  I  was  first  to  capture  him, 
you  know." 

Before  I  could  reply  to  this  we  were  startled  by 
a  loud  whinny,  a  little  to  the  north,  which  was 
promptly  answered  by  the  black,  and,  looking 
in  that  direction,  we  saw  a  cream-colored  pony, 
with  high-erected  head,  looking  anxiously  in  the 
direction  of  our  captive. 

"That  seems  to  be  a  friend  of  your  pony's,"  I 
said. 

"Another  beauty,  too,  sir!  Can't  we  catch  it 
for  Henry?" 

"Perhaps  we  can.  It  seems  inclined  to  stay 
by  this  one.  I  see  all  the  other  loose  ponies  have 
joined  the  Indians.  But  wait  now  until  we  look 
over  the  field." 

We  now  turned  our  attention  to  the  prostrate 
bodies  of  the  fallen  enemy.  All  were  dead. 

The  body  of  El  Ebano,  clad  in  black  buck 
skin,  ornamented  with  a  profusion  of  silver  but 
tons,  chains,  and  bracelets,  lay  face  upward,  his 
resolute,  handsome  countenance  still  in  the  em- 

26 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

brace  of  death.  I  told  the  men  we  would  give 
him  and  his  comrades  a  warrior's  burial  on  the 
morrow,  and  returned  to  camp  to  make  it  de 
fensible  against  a  possible  night  attack. 

The  advantage  of  numbers  was  decidedly  on 
the  side  of  the  Indians,  and  I  felt  if  they  could 
show  the  firmness  and  dash  of  white  men  our 
chances  of  repelling  a  resolute  attack  were  small. 
Counting  the  Mexicans  and  the  boys,  we  num 
bered  but  forty -eight,  to  their  three  hundred  or 
more. 

We  were  in  the  centre  of  a  large  valley,  with 
no  knowledge  of  our  surroundings  nor  with  any 
way  out  except  the  road  by  which  we  had  en 
tered.  Should  we  leave  the  protection  of  our 
ridge  and  cabins  and  take  to  the  open  valley 
we  should  be  at  the  mercy  of  our  foes. 

Even  supposing  we  could  pass  out  of  the  valley 
unmolested,  there  were  the  forests  and  defiles, 
filled  with  natural  ambuscades.  We  could  not 
hope  to  pass  them  and  reach  the  Rio  Grande 
alive. 

Only  a  few  hours  of  daylight  remained.  What 
ever  was  to  be  done  in  preparation  for  defence 
must  be  done  at  once. 

27 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

In  the  wood-yard  there  were  tiers  of  dry  pine- 
logs,  many  of  them  four  feet  in  diameter,  and  all 
about  twenty  feet  long.  With  drag  ropes  and 
by  rolling  we  conveyed  them  to  the  points  of 
the  ridge  and  to  each  end  of  the  guard-house,  and 
erected  effective  barricades. 

While  this  work  was  going  on  the  two  boys 
were  busy  in  an  attempt  to  capture  the  cream- 
colored  pony.  Frank  led  the  black  towards  it, 
while  Henry  rattled  the  contents  of  a  measure 
of  corn  and  coaxed  the  cream-color  in  a  tongue 
foreign  to  that  with  which  the  animals  were  fa 
miliar  to  approach  and  partake  of  it.  Tired  at 
last  of  what  seemed  a  vain  attempt,  the  young 
corporal  set  the  box  before  the  black,  which  at 
once  began  to  munch  the  crackling  corn,  and  the 
other  pony,  attracted  by  the  sound,  trotted  up 
and  placed  her  nose  beside  her  friend's.  In 
stantly  its  bridle-rein  was  seized,  and  the  lads 
uttered  a  shout  of  triumph  and  led  the  prizes  to 
the  stable. 

From  the  top  of  the  ridge  I  looked  occasionally 
through  my  field-glass  at  the  enemy.  They  still 
continued  well  to  the  south  on  the  western  side 
of  the  brook.  They  had  dismounted  and  ap- 

28 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

peared  to  be  carrying  on  an  animated  consulta 
tion. 

After  a  considerable  interval  of  time,  four  of 
their  number  mounted,  and,  collecting  the  ten 
beeves,  mule,  and  burro,  which  had  been  grazing 
near  by,  drove  them  up  and  down  in  front  of  the 
camp,  beyond  rifle  range.  They  made  gestures 
for  us  to  come  and  take  them — an  invitation 
which,  for  obvious  reasons,  I  declined  to  accept. 
I  quite  agreed  with  Private  Tom  Clary,  who,  as 
he  placed  his  brawny  shoulder  to  a  big  log  to 
roll  it  up  the  slope,  remarked  to  his  "bunky," 
Private  George  Hoey,  "That's  an  invitation,  be- 
gorra,  I  don't  fale  loike  acciptin'." 

"  Ye'd  niver  make  yer  t'ilet  for  anither  assim- 
bly  if  ye  did,  Tom.  I  don't  think  the  lutinint 
will  risk  the  comp'ny's  hair  in  that  way,"  re 
plied  Hoey. 

To  have  attempted  to  recover  our  stock  would 
have  necessitated  a  division  of  our  force,  and  the 
main  body  of  the  Navajos  stood  ready  to  dash  in 
and  cut  off  a  party  making  such  a  reckless  move. 

This  was  what  they  had  originally  attempted 
to  accomplish,  as  I  heard  years  afterwards  from 
a  chief  who  took  part  in  the  raid. 

29 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Failing  to  draw  us  out  in  pursuit  of  our  lost 
stock,  the  Navajos  moved  slowly  away  in  the 
deepening  dusk  to  a  point  close  against  the  forest 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley  and  nearly  oppo 
site  our  camp.  There  they  built  a  row  of  five 
fires,  which  soon  became,  in  the  darkness,  the 
only  evidence  of  their  presence. 

I  caused  the  sentinels  to  be  increased,  and, 
after  dressing  the  wounds  of  the  men  and  re 
moving  a  bullet  from  Frank's  shoulder,  went  to 
bed  without  undressing.  After  some  half-hour 
of  silence,  Henry  said: 

"Mr.  Duncan." 

"Yes;  what  is  it?" 

"I'm  going  to  name  my  pony  Chiquita." 

"And  I'm  going  to  name  mine  Sancho,"  added 
Frank. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  the  animals 
you  brought  here?"  I  asked. 

"Turn  them  in  in  place  of  the  two  we  capt 
ured,"  answered  Henry. 

"All  right;  for  general  utility.    Good -night." 

"Good -night.     Thank  you,  sir." 

Half  an  hour  before  midnight  the  sergeant  of 
the  guard  aroused  me  to  report  that  strange 

30 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

noises  could  be  heard  from  the  rear  of  the 
camp. 

I  went  to  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  listened.  A 
sound  like  the  dragging  of  branches  over  the 
ground,  with  occasional  pauses,  fell  upon  my 
ears.  I  sent  for  the  elder  Cordova,  and  he  lis 
tened  long,  with  an  ear  close  to  the  ground. 
His  opinion  was  that  the  Indians  were  creeping 
up  for  another  attack. 

Orders  were  sent  to  Sergeant  Cunningham  to 
wake  the  men  without  noise  and  assemble  them 
at  the  barricades. 

A  little  after  midnight  the  moon  rose  over  the 
mountains  and  bathed  the  valley  in  a  beautiful 
light. 

As  the  moon  cleared  herself  from  the  summits 
of  the  range  and  her  rays  fell  upon  the  line  of 
paling  camp-fires  of  the  Indians,  my  field-glass 
revealed  the  fact  that  the  raiders  had  departed. 
Ponies  and  riders  were  gone.  In  the  whole 
length  and  breadth  of  the  Great  Valley  not  a  liv 
ing  being  was  in  sight  outside  the  limit  of  our 
encampment. 

An  inspection  to  the  rear,  to  the  scene  of  the 
late  conflict,  revealed  the  fact  that  the  body  of 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

El  Ebano  and  the  group  of  dead  warriors 
which  lay  about  him  at  nightfall  had  been  taken 
away.  Their  removal  had  caused  the  rushing 
and  creeping  sounds  we  had  heard. 

Mounting  my  horse,  and  accompanied  by  four 
men  upon  the  four  ponies,  I  crossed  the  valley 
to  the  Indian  fires,  but  found  nothing  there 
except  the  horns,  hoofs,  and  entrails  of  our 
captured  cattle.  The  flesh  had  probably  been 
packed  upon  the  Cordovas'  mule  and  burro  to 
ration  a  raiding  party  into  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande. 

A  well-defined  trail  went  back  through  the  for 
est,  which  Cordova  afterwards  assured  me  led  to 
the  town  of  Pina  Blanca. 

Returning  to  camp,  I  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
commanding  general,  giving  an  account  of  the 
attack  and  its  repulse,  and  despatched  it  by  the 
Mexicans,  who,  taking  cut-offs  with  which  they 
were  acquainted,  and  borrowing  horses  in  relays 
at  ranches  on  the  way,  delivered  it  next  evening 
at  Santa  Fe\ 

The  general  sent  a  hundred  troopers  to  Los 
Valles  Grandes,  where  they  came  galloping  into 
camp  two  evenings  afterwards.  As  Captain 

32 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Ward  well  sprang  from  his  saddle  and  wrung  my 
hand,  he  exclaimed : 

"  God  bless  you,  Duncan!  I  came  out  expect 
ing  to  bury  the  bones  of  you  and  your  men." 

I  was  glad  to  see  the  California  cavalry  officers, 
and,  during  the  three  days  of  their  stay  in  the 
valley  for  rest  after  a  forced  march,  did  the  hon 
ors  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  On  the  day  of 
their  departure  the  wagons  returned  loaded  with 
supplies.  Instructions  were  received  to  send 
back  all  but  one  wagon  and  six  mules. 

With  the  departure  of  cavalry  and  wagons, 
life  in  the  valley  settled  down  to  quiet  routine. 
I  spent  some  time  in  instructing  my  companions, 
according  to  an  agreement  I  had  made  with  their 
father.  Not  being  a  West- Pointer,  but  a  college 
graduate  with  a  fair  knowledge  of  Greek  and 
Latin,  and  some  other  acquirements  not  consid 
ered  of  military  utility,  I  was  able  to  carry  out  a 
desire  of  the  colonel  and  assist  the  boys  in  pre 
paring  themselves  for  college. 

We  rarely  received  visits  from  the  outside 
world.  The  nearest  hamlet  was  an  Indian  pue 
blo,  twenty -six  miles  away,  in  the  Rio  Jemez  Val 
ley,  and  representatives  of  the  army  seldom  had 

*  33 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

occasion  to  visit  our  outposts.  The  mail  arrived 
from  Santa  Fe  every  Saturday  afternoon,  and 
left  every  Monday  morning  in  the  saddle-bags 
of  two  cavalry  express-men. 

To  the  soldiers  life  in  the  valleys  was  very 
pleasant.  Duty  was  light,  and  there  were  no 
temptations  to  dissipation  or  to  be  out  of  quar 
ters  at  night,  and  there  were  no  confinements  to 
the  guard-house  for  disorder.  Evenings  were 
spent  over  books  and  papers  and  quiet  games, 
and  the  days  in  drill,  repairing  buildings,  pro 
viding  the  fuel  for  winter,  hunting,  and  scouting. 

As  previously  referred  to,  we  were  in  a  region 
of  abundant  game.  The  boy  corporals  accom 
panied  the  hunting-parties,  and  became  skilled  in 
bringing  down  whatever  they  sighted.  Henry, 
as  well  as  Frank,  shot  his  bear,  and  soon  our  floor 
was  covered  with  the  skins  of  wolves,  coyotes, 
bears,  and  catamounts,  skilfully  dressed  and 
tanned  by  the  Cordovas. 

And  now  I  must  introduce  a  principal  charac 
ter  of  my  story,  a  valued  friend  who  took  a  con 
spicuous  part  in  our  scouting  and  hunting,  and 
who,  later  on,  did  valuable  service  to  myself  and 
my  youthful  comrades. 

34 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Just  as  I  was  about  to  leave  Santa  Fe  for  Los 
Valles  Grandes,  the  regimental  adjutant — since 
a  distinguished  brigadier-general  in  the  war  in 
the  Philippines — gave  me  a  beautiful  young  set 
ter  named  Victoriana,  and  called  Vic  for  con 
venience.  She  was  of  canine  aristocracy,  pos 
sessing  a  fine  pedigree,  white  and  liver-colored, 
with  mottled  nose  and  paws,  and  a  tail  like  the 
plume  of  Henry  of  Navarre. 

The  boys,  soon  after  our  arrival  in  the  valleys, 
carrying  out  a  conceit  suggested  by  the  letters 
"U.  S."  which  are  always  branded  upon  the  left 
shoulder  of  all  government  horses  and  mules, 
marked  with  a  weak  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver 
upon  Vic's  white  shoulder  the  same  characters, 
and  as  long  as  she  continued  to  live  they  were 
never  allowed  to  grow  dim. 

Vic  came  to  me  with  no  education,  but  plenty 
of  capacity,  and  the  corporals  and  I  spent  much 
time  during  the  long  evenings  and  on  the  days 
when  we  did  not  accompany  the  scouting  and 
hunting  parties,  in  training  her. 

She  learned  to  close  the  door  if  we  simulated  a 
shiver,  to  bring  me  my  slippers  when  she  saw  me 
begin  to  remove  my  boots,  to  carry  messages  to 

35 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  first  sergeant  or  the  cook,  to  return  to  the 
camp  from  long  distances  and  bring  articles  I 
sent  for. 

Vic  was  an  unerring  setter  and  a  fine  retriever. 
She  was  taught  not  to  bark  when  a  sound  might 
bring  an  enemy  upon  us,  and  she  would  follow 
patiently  at  my  heels  or  those  of  either  of  the 
boys  when  told  to  do  so  and  never  make  a  break 
to  the  right  or  left. 

Our  repeated  scoutings  soon  made  us  acquaint 
ed  with  every  trail  in  and  out  of  the  valley.  I 
obtained  permission  from  department  head 
quarters  to  employ  the  elder  Cordova  as  spy  and 
guide,  and  he  was  of  invaluable  use  to  us.  He 
was  able  to  show  me  a  mountain-trail  into  the 
valley  of  San  Antonio  besides  the  one  through  La 
Puerta,  which  I  kept  in  reserve  for  any  desperate 
emergency  which  might  make  it  necessary  to  use 
another.  We  frequently  went  trout-fishing  with 
an  armed  party,  and  could  pack  a  mule  with  fish 
in  a  few  hours. 

One  morning,  near  the  close  of  October,  Cor 
dova  left  the  camp  before  reveille  on  a  solitary 
hunting-trip  in  order  to  reach  Los  Vallecitos,  four 
miles  to  the  south  of  our  valley,  before  sunrise. 

36 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

He  had  gone  but  half  an  hour,  and  I  was  dress 
ing  after  first  bugle-call  for  reveille,  when  I  was 
startled  by  the  rapid  approach  of  some  one  run 
ning  towards  my  door.  Presently  the  guide 
tumbled  into  the  cabin,  gasping: 

"Muchos  Navajos,  teniente,  muchos  Nava- 
jos!"  (Many  Navajos,  lieutenant,  many  Nava 
jos!) 

"Where  are  they,  and  how  many?"  I  asked. 

"  About  half  a  league  over  the  ridge,"  pointing 
to  the  south.  "They  chased  me  from  the  Los 
Vallecitos  trail.  They  number  about  a  hun 
dred." 

Without  waiting  for  more  definite  informa 
tion,  I  told  the  boys,  who  were  hastily  getting 
into  their  clothes,  to  stay  in  the  cabin,  and,  going 
for  Sergeant  Cunningham,  ordered  him  to  parade 
the  company  under  arms  without  delay;  then, 
taking  my  glass,  I  went  to  the  top  of  the  ridge. 
Lying  down  before  reaching  the  crest,  I  looked 
through  the  screening  grass  and  saw  a  party  of 
eighty-three  Indians,  halted  and  apparently  in 
consultation.  They  were  in  full  war  costume, 
and  were  painted  and  feathered  to  the  height  of 
Indian  skill. 

37 


Ill 

WARLIKE    PUEBLOS 

THE  party  of  Indians  halted  for  nearly  ten 
minutes,  evidently  in  excited  dispute,  accom 
panying  their  talk  with  much  gesticulation.  I 
had  time  to  notice  that  the  details  of  dress  were 
not  like  those  of  the  Navajos  with  whom  we  had 
recently  had  a  fight ;  but  as  the  old  hunter  Cor 
dova  had  pronounced  them  Navajos,  I  gave  the 
matter  little  consideration.  They  did  not  seem 
to  be  aware  of  the  existence  of  an  encampment 
of  soldiers  in  the  valleys,  and  after  a  brief  delay 
moved  on  towards  La  Puerta. 

Returning  to  the  parade,  I  ordered  the  six 
mules  and  four  ponies  brought  to  my  door,  sad 
dled  and  bridled,  and  all  the  men  not  on  guard 
to  assemble  under  arms  with  cartridge-boxes 
filled.  Fortunately,  the  mail-riders  had  arrived 
the  previous  evening  from  Santa  Fe,  so  I  ordered 
them  to  form  a  part  of  the  expedition,  and  placed 

38 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

tne  party  of  thirteen  under  command  of  Sergeant 
Cunningham,  mounted  upon  my  horse. 

The  sergeant  was  directed  to  take  the  "re 
served  trail"  through  the  hills  into  the  valley  of 
San  Antonio  and  bring  his  men  into  the  western 
end  of  La  Puerta  before  the  Indians  could  pass 
through  it.  I  impressed  it  upon  him  on  no  ac 
count  to  fire  unless  the  redmen  showed  fight,  to 
leave  his  mules  and  horses  concealed  in  the  tim 
ber  at  the  entrance  of  the  canon,  and  so  dispose 
his  men  as  to  convey  the  impression  that  thirteen 
was  but  a  part  of  his  force. 

Just  before  the  horsemen  were  to  start  I  over 
heard  Private  Tom  Clary,  who  was  mounted  on 
Frank's  recent  equine  acquisition,  Sancho,  say 
to  the  boy: 

"Corp'ril  Frank,  laddie,  can  ye  give  me  the 
Naviho  words  for  whoa  and  get  up?  I'm  af eared 
the  little  baste  '11  not  understand  me  English,  and 
may  attimpt  to  lave  for  his  troibe." 

"You  needn't  speak  to  him,  Tom.  Use  your 
reins,  curb,  and  spurs,"  replied  the  boy. 

"True  for  you,  corp'ril;  a  pull  to  stop,  and  a 
spur  to  go  ahead.  That's  a  language  that  nades 
no  interpreter." 

?o 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

For  myself,  I  proposed  to  follow  up  the 
Navajos  with  the  rest  of  the  company  as 
soon  as  they  were  fairly  within  the  canon, 
and  I  expected  to  capture  them  without  blood 
shed. 

We  started,  the  mounted  men  turning  to  the 
north  of  the  wooded  point  and  entering  the  forest, 
and  the  footmen  marching  direct  for  La  Puerta. 
I  kept  my  men  out  of  sight  under  the  rolls  of  the 
valley  surface,  and  moved  at  quick  time.  When 
the  redmen  were  well  within  the  walls  of  the 
canon  we  deployed  right  and  left,  and  closed  up 
rapidly  behind  them. 

The  Indians  showed  perceptible  astonishment 
when  they  perceived  this  unexpected  and  war 
like  demonstration,  but  they  soon  recovered,  and 
then,  feeling  the  superiority  of  the  mounted  man 
over  the  footman,  they  broke  into  derisive  shouts 
and  made  gestures  conveying  their  contempt  for 
us.  This  continued  for  some  time,  when  they 
suddenly  showed  confusion.  They  dashed  at  a 
gallop  to  the  north  side  of  the  passage,  and  skirted 
it  for  a  considerable  distance,  as  if  looking  for  a 
place  of  escape.  Failing  to  find  one  they  dashed 
wildly  to  the  other  side,  where  they  met  with  no 

40 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

better  success,  and  then  they  halted  and  con 
sulted. 

Presently  one  of  their  number  rode  out  and 
waved  a  white  cloth.  Upon  this  I  approached 
alone  and  made  signs  for  them  to  dismount  and 
lay  down  their  arms.  They  did  so,  and  at  an 
other  sign  withdrew  in  a  body,  when  my  men 
picked  up  everything  and  collected  their  ponies. 

I  was  certainly  surprised  at  such  a  bloodless 
result  of  my  strategy,  and,  after  shaking  hands 
with  the  chief,  began  my  return  march  to  camp. 

We  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  I  over 
heard  Private  Clary,  one  of  the  mounted  men, 
who  was  riding  near  me,  say  to  Private  Hoey 
beside  him. 

"D'ye  moind  the  cut  uv  thim  chaps'  hair, 
Jarge?" 

"Indade  I  do  that,  Tom,"  replied  George. 

"Thim'sno  Navihos!" 

"Not  a  bit  uv  it.  I'd  as  soon  expict  to  see 
one  in  currls!" 

I  had  a  wholesome  respect  for  the  opinions  of 
these  old  soldiers,  for  they  had  campaigned 
against  Indians  in  Texas,  Utah,  Colorado,  and 
New  Mexico  long  before  I  had  seen  a  more  savage 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

redman  than  the  indolent,  basket  -  making  de 
scendants  of  the  Passamaquoddies  and  Penob- 
scots.  Accordingly,  without  appearing  to  notice 
their  remarks,  I  approached  the  chief,  and  said, 
interrogatively : 

"Apache?" 

A  shake  of  the  head. 

"Ute?" 

Another  shake. 

"Navajo?" 

"Si,  senor!"  he  said,  with  a  bow  of  his  head, 
and  I  moved  triumphantly  on,  satisfied  that  my 
eighty-three  prisoners  were  Navajos. 

But  presently  I  heard  Clary  ask,  "Jarge,  did 
ye  iver  see  Navihos  with  blankets  like  thim?" 

"Niver!"  answered  Hoey,  emphatically. 

Evidently  the  two  soldiers  did  not  believe  they 
were  Navajos,  and  were  "talking  at  me."  But 
if  not  Navajos,  Apaches,  or  Utes,  who  were  these 
warriors? 

When  we  were  near  camp  we  were  met  by  Cor 
dova,  who  had  remained  behind  to  recover  from 
the  fatigue  of  his  early  morning  run.  As  soon  as 
he  came  up  to  the  Indians  there  seemed  to  be  an 
immediate  recognition.  He  and  the  chief  met 

42 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  embraced,  and  conversed  for  a  few  moments 
in  a  language  that  was  neither  English  nor  Span 
ish.  Then  the  hunter  turned  to  me,  looking 
shamefaced,  and  said,  in  Spanish,  "Lieutenant, 
these  Indians  are  Pueblos,  of  Santo  Domingo." 

Whoever  knows  the  character  of  the  Pueblos 
will  appreciate  the  joke  I  had  perpetrated  upon 
myself.  Many  towns  in  New  Mexico  are  inhab 
ited  by  these  Indians — towns  which  stood  on  their 
present  sites  when  Coronado  entered  the  country 
in  1541.  They  form  an  excellent  part  of  the 
population,  being  temperate,  frugal,  and  indus 
trious.  They  dress  in  Indian  style,  and  when 
at  war  paint  and  disfigure  themselves  like  any 
other  of  the  red  peoples,  so  that  a  green  soldier 
would  see  no  difference  between  them  and  the 
wilder  tribes. 

The  Pueblos  explained  that  they  were  in  pur 
suit  of  a  band  of  Navajos  who  had  stolen  some  of 
their  cattle  the  previous  night.  When  they  first 
saw  Cordova  they  attempted  to  approach  him  to 
inquire  if  he  had  seen  any  Navajo  "signs." 

My  appearance  and  warlike  demonstrations 
they  could  not  account  for,  not  knowing  there 
was  a  camp  of  soldiers  in  the  valley.  When  I 

43 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

put  the  questions,  Apache?  Ute?  Navajo?  the 
chief  thought  I  was  asking  him  if  he  was  in  pur 
suit  of  a  party  of  one  of  those  tribes.  Being  in 
pursuit  of  Navajos,  he  answered  yes  to  that  name. 

A  week  after  my  captives  had  returned  to 
their  homes  in  Santo  Domingo,  at  the  close  of  a 
long  and  fruitless  search  for  their  lost  stock,  a 
gentleman  and  his  servant,  mounted  on  broncos 
and  leading  a  pack-mule,  rode  up  to  my  cabin 
late  in  the  afternoon.  He  introduced  himself  as 
a  government  Indian  agent  for  the  Navajos,  and 
handed  me  a  letter  from  the  department  com 
mander.  It  stated  that  the  bearer  was  on  his 
way  to  the  Indian  pueblo  of  Jemez,  to  prevent 
the  massacre  of  a  number  of  Navajo  women, 
children,  and  old  men  who  had  sought  asylum 
there,  and  authorized  me  to  furnish  him  with  all 
the  aid  in  my  power. 

After  dismounting  and  entering  my  quarters, 
the  agent  stated  that,  the  Navajo  country  being 
over-run  by  national  troops,  many  of  the  prin 
cipal  men  had  sent  their  wives  and  children,  with 
a  few  old  men,  to  Jemez  for  safety ;  that  the  party 
of  Dominicans  which  had  been  recently  captured 
by  us,  being  bitterly  disappointed  at  their  lack  of 

44 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

success  in  retaking  their  missing  cattle,  had  de 
termined  to  go  to  Jemez  and  wreak  vengeance 
upon  the  enemy. 

The  Santo  Dominicans  had  informed  the  peo 
ple  of  Jemez  that  if  they  interfered  to  prevent 
the  slaughter  of  the  Navajos  they  would  be  con 
sidered  by  the  military  authorities  as  allies  of 
that  tribe,  and  treated  accordingly. 

Convinced,  from  what  the  agent  told  me,  that 
I  should  act  without  unnecessary  delay,  I  pro 
posed  that  we  should  start  for  Jemez  at  once, 
but  he  declared  himself  too  much  fatigued  by  a 
long  journey  to  undertake  a  night  ride  of  twenty- 
six  miles.  My  instructions  from  the  general 
were  to  conform  my  movements  to  the  wishes  of 
the  agent,  so  I  very  reluctantly  and  much  against 
my  convictions  concluded  to  wait  until  morning. 
He  strongly  insisted  there  was  no  reason  for 
haste,  as  the  Dominicans  had  not  planned  to 
leave  their  pueblo  before  noon. 

We  set  out,  therefore,  at  four  o'clock  next 
morning.  Sergeant  Cunningham  asked  permis 
sion  to  accompany  the  expedition,  and  I  allowed 
him  to  do  so,  leaving  Sergeant  Mulligan  in  charge 
until  our  return. 

45 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

We  were  a  party  of  thirteen,  mounted  on  every 
available  animal  in  camp.  Henry  was  left  be 
hind,  but  Frank  accompanied  us,  mounted  on 
the  recently  captured  Sancho,  proud  of  his  horse 
and  proud  to  be  included  in  the  detachment. 

We  passed  through  an  interesting  country, 
filled  with  wind  -  carven  pillars  and  minarets, 
eroded  shelves  and  caverns,  and  lunched  at  noon 
day  beside  a  dozen  boiling  sulphur  springs.  We 
also  passed  Canoncito,  the  little  village  which 
was  the  home  of  Jos6  Cordova. 

As  we  came  in  sight  of  the  tinned  spires  of  the 
church  at  Jemez,  we  heard  a  distinct  murmur, 
and  halted  at  once.  In  a  moment  the  murmur 
swelled  into  an  unmistakable  Indian  war-whoop. 
It  was  plainly  evident  the  Dominicans  had  ar 
rived  before  us. 

As  soon  as  I  heard  the  war-whoop  I  told  Ser 
geant  Cunningham  to  bring  up  the  men  as  rap 
idly  as  possible,  sticking  to  the  travelled  road, 
and,  accompanied  by  the  agent  and  Corporal 
Frank,  I  put  spurs  to  my  horse  and  dashed  tow 
ards  the  town. 

Our  route  was  through  the  cultivated  land, 
while  that  of  the  soldiers  was  on  the  hard  ground 

46 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

along  the  foot-hills.  Ours  was  in  a  direct  line, 
over  deep,  soft  earth,  frequently  crossed  by  ir 
rigating  ditches,  while  theirs,  although  nearly 
treble  the  distance,  was  over  firm  soil  without  a 
break.  We  struck  directly  for  the  church  spires, 
which  I  knew  rose  from  the  central  plaza. 

Often  we  plunged  down  the  banks  of  aceqtiias, 
carrying  avalanches  of  soil  with  us  into  two  or 
three  feet  of  water,  to  make  a  difficult  scramble 
up  the  crumbling  wall  of  the  opposite  side ;  and 
as  we  neared  the  pueblo,  the  louder  grew  the  dis 
cordant  yells  of  the  Dominicans. 

As  I  reached  the  border  of  the  plantation  I 
found  between  me  and  the  road,  which  here  en 
tered  the  town,  a  cactus  hedge  about  five  feet 
high,  with  no  passage  through  it  except  at  a  con 
siderable  distance  to  the  right.  The  agent  veer 
ed  away  to  the  opening,  but  Corporal  Frank  kept 
Sancho  close  behind  me,  and  I  gave  my  good 
thoroughbred  his  head  and  rode  sharply  at  the 
hedge,  cleared  it  at  a  bound,  receiving  but  a  few 
scratches  from  the  cactus  spines.  Turning  my 
head  as  I  came  into  the  road,  I  saw  Frank  come 
through  like  a  trooper  and  join  me. 

Clear  of  the  hedge,  I  found  myself  at  the  foot 
47 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

of  a  narrow  street  which  passed  between  two  tall 
adobe  buildings  and  entered  the  plaza  near  the 
centre  of  its  western  side.  I  took  it  at  a  run, 
and  when  half-way  through  saw  directly  before 
its  inner  end,  facing  the  north,  a  group  of  old, 
gray-haired  Navajos  standing  alone  with  their 
arms  folded,  and  holding  their  blankets  firmly 
about  their  breasts,  while  in  their  immediate 
front  were  some  one  hundred  mounted  Indians, 
painted  and  ornamented  in  true  aboriginal  war 
rior  style. 

On  the  terraced  fronts  of  the  houses  and  their 
fiat  roofs,  and  along  the  three  sides  of  the  square, 
seemed  to  be  gathered  the  entire  population  of 
the  town,  looking  passively  on. 

Before  I  had  more  than  taken  in  the  situation, 
a  rattling  discharge  of  rifles  came  from  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Dominicans,  and  the  old  men  fell  in 
a  heap  to  the  ground.  Covered  with  dust  and 
mud,  our  horses  reeking  with  foam,  Corporal 
Frank  and  I  burst  through  the  crowd  of  specta 
tors  on  the  west  side  of  the  plaza,  and  gained 
the  open  space  just  as  the  firing-party  was  ad 
vancing  with  gleaming  knives  and  wild  yells  to 
complete  the  tragedy  by  scalping  the  slain. 

48 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Raising  my  right  hand  I  shouted,  in  Spanish, 
"  Stop  where  you  are!" 

Frank  had  unslung  his  carbine  and  was  holding 
it  by  the  small  of  the  stock  in  his  right  hand,  the 
barrel  resting  in  his  left,  looking  calmly  and  reso 
lutely  at  the  hesitating  Indians.  The  blood  of 
three  generations  of  soldierly  ancestors  was  thrill 
ing  his  veins  with  a  resolution  to  act  well  in  any 
emergency  which  might  arise. 

The  Pueblos  halted,  and  at  the  same  moment 
a  group  of  eighteen  women  and  nearly  three 
times  as  many  children,  some  of  them  in  arms, 
who  had  been  reserved — as  I  afterwards  learned 
— for  later  shooting,  ran  into  the  space  and  clung 
to  my  feet,  stirrups,  and  the  mane  and  tail  of 
my  horse,  entreating  with  eyes  and  voices  for 
protection. 

The  war-cries  had  ceased  and  the  Dominicans 
had  gathered  in  an  angry  and  gesticulating 
group,  when  Sergeant  Cunningham  and  the  rest 
of  the  men  appeared  on  foot,  running  into  the 
plaza  from  a  side  street,  and  formed  in  line  be 
fore  us. 

The  massacre  ended  with  the  death  of  the  old 
men.  Aided  by  the  agent  and  the  Catholic  priest 
4  49 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

of  the  pueblo  I  succeeded  in  impressing  upon  the 
Jemez  warriors  that  they  must  discountenance 
any  further  hostile  demonstrations  of  the  Santo 
Dominicans,  and  told  the  latter  that  unless  they 
promptly  withdrew  and  departed  for  their  own 
reservation  I  should  punish  them  for  their  recent 
conduct.  They  at  once  sullenly  departed. 

That  evening,  by  the  light  of  a  brilliant  moon, 
the  dead  Navajos  were  buried  upon  a  hill- top 
overlooking  the  town,  amid  the  wailing  of  their 
women  and  much  ceremonious  demonstration  by 
the  Jemez  people,  and  Frank  and  I  retired  for 
the  night  to  the  house  of  the  hospitable  priest. 

Early  the  following  morning  I  held  an  inspec 
tion  of  the  mules  and  horses,  and  finding  the 
wheel  and  swing  spans  were  much  exhausted  by 
the  unaccustomed  gait  they  had  maintained  in  the 
forced  march  from  the  valleys,  I  determined  to 
give  them  a  day's  rest  before  making  the  return 
trip.  Finding  Sergeant  Cunningham's,  Frank's, 
and  my  own  horses  none  the  worse  for  their  ex 
ertions,  I  concluded  that  we  three  would  return 
at  once  to  camp.  I  placed  Corporal  Duffy  in 
charge  of  the  party,  and  told  him  after  one  day 
had  passed  to  return  by  way  of  the  hot  springs. 

So 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Instead  of  returning  by  the  route  we  came,  the 
sergeant,  Frank,  and  I  were  to  take  a  shorter  and 
rougher  one  pointed  out  to  us  by  Padre  Gutier 
rez.  This  trail  was  almost  as  straight  as  an  ar 
row,  but  led  through  a  section  of  the  country 
over  which  we  had  not  scouted.  At  half -past 
nine  o'clock  the  three  of  us  started,  Vic  bound 
ing  and  barking  at  my  horse's  head. 


IV 

IN     A     NAVAJO     TRAP 

Six  miles  from  Jemez  our  road,  which,  after 
leaving  the  cultivated  valley  of  the  Pueblos  had 
narrowed  to  a  path,  entered  the  forest  and  ran 
along  the  side  of  a  small  brook,  which  it  continued 
to  follow  for  several  miles,  and  then  rose  grad 
ually  to  the  side  of  a  range  of  hills.  We  were 
walking  our  animals  along  the  side  of  this  accliv 
ity,  at  a  considerable  distance  above  the  brook 
on  our  left,  their  hoofs  making  no  noise  in  the 
soft,  black  earth,  when  I  was  startled  by  the 
braying  of  an  ass  somewhere  in  the  ravine. 

Sergeant  Cunningham  and  Corporal  Frank 
threw  themselves  quickly  from  their  saddles  and 
held  the  horses  by  the  bits  to  prevent  them  from 
responding  to  the  greeting,  and  I  quickly  sought 
a  place  from  which  I  could  make  an  observation. 

We  were  in  a  clump  of  evergreen  trees  which 
commanded  a  view  of  the  ravine  and  obscured  us 

52 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

from  sight  in  all  directions.  Looking  across  the 
ravine,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  party  of  Indians 
a  little  beyond  the  brook.  Through  my  glass  I 
made  them  out  to  be  a  party  of  twenty-seven 
Navajos,  sitting  about  a  camp-fire  eating  their 
dinner. 

As  many  ponies  were  grazing  near,  and  a  mule 
and  burro.  From  certain  peculiar  markings  I 
had  observed  the  day  Cordova  joined  me  in  the 
valleys,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  last 
two  animals  to  be  his  property.  Packs  were  ly 
ing  near  the  fire,  showing  that  the  captured  ani 
mals  were  being  used  as  beasts  of  burden. 

All  this  time  I  had  entirely  overlooked  the 
presence  of  my  dog  Vic.  Had  I  thought  of  her 
in  season,  it  would  have  been  easy  to  have  kept 
her  close  at  my  heels;  but  I  had  left  her  free  to 
wander,  not  thinking  of  any  threatening  danger. 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  chorus  of  grunts  from  the 
Indians,  and  looking  in  their  direction  I  saw  Vic 
stand  for  an  instant  with  her  forefeet  on  a  pros 
trate  log,  look  questioningly  at  the  savages,  and 
then  drop  down  into  the  furze  and  disappear. 

The  sight  of  a  white  man's  dog,  wearing  a 
brilliant  metallic  collar,  produced  an  electrical 

53 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

effect.  Instantly  the  redmen  sprang  to  their 
feet,  seized  their  arms,  and  began  saddling  and 
bridling  their  ponies. 

"  Vic  has  betrayed  us,  sergeant,"  I  said.  "  We 
must  get  out  of  here  as  quickly  as  possible." 

As  we  sprang  into  our  saddles  and  regained  the 
trail  Vic  came  with  a  bound  before  us,  and  I  im 
mediately  gave  her  positive  orders  to  keep  close 
at  our  heels.  We  rode  as  fast  as  it  was  possible 
to  do  without  making  a  noise,  hoping  that  we 
might  get  a  considerable  distance  away  before 
we  were  discovered.  We  had  not  proceeded  far, 
however,  when  a  yell  announced  that  we  were 
seen. 

As  we  galloped  on  we  saw  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  for  the  Indians  to  cross  to  our  side  of  the 
ravine.  Every  mile  we  passed  the  path  rose 
higher  and  the  sides  of  the  stream  grew  more 
precipitous.  The  Indians  were  pursuing  a  path 
parallel  to  ours  and  about  half  a  mile  in  our  rear. 
What  was  the  nature  of  the  country  ahead  we 
did  not  know.  The  fact  that  they  were  pursu 
ing,  and  with  such  eagerness,  seemed  to  indicate 
they  knew  of  some  advantage  to  be  gained 
farther  on. 

54 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

On  and  on  we  rode,  I  in  advance,  the  ser 
geant  next,  and  Frank  behind.  The  trail  wound 
through  the  trees  and  clumps  of  underbrush,  with 
occasional  openings  through  which  we  could 
catch  glimpses  of  our  eager  pursuers.  The  pros 
pect  appeared  exceedingly  gloomy. 

As  we  galloped  on  I  noticed  at  last,  through  a 
rift  in  the  wood  a  considerable  distance  in  ad 
vance,  an  eminence  or  butte  which  lifted  its 
summit  nearly  three  hundred  feet  skyward,  and 
which  presented  on  the  side  towards  us  an  almost 
perpendicular  wall.  When  we  approached  it  we 
saw  a  neat  log-cabin  nestling  under  its  over 
arching  brow.  We  dismounted,  led  our  panting 
and  utterly  exhausted  animals  into  the  cabin, 
closed  the  doors,  and  went  to  the  windows  with 
our  rifles. 

The  cabin  was  about  thirty  by  twenty  feet  in 
area,  and  stood  with  its  northern  end  close 
against  the  perpendicular  wall  of  the  butte,  with 
an  overhanging  cliff  a  hundred  feet  above  it.  If 
a  stone  had  been  dropped  from  the  sheltering 
cliff  it  would  have  fallen  several  feet  away  from 
the  cabin's  southern  wall. 

At  the  end  of  the  cabin  farthest  from  the 
55 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

butte  the  ground  upon  which  it  stood  broke  off 
perpendicularly  twenty  feet  downward,  to  a 
spring — the  source  of  the  brook  we  had  been  fol 
lowing  since  we  left  Jemez.  The  only  way  to 
cross  from  one  trail  to  the  other,  except  by  going 
several  miles  down  the  brook  or  to  the  north  end 
of  the  butte,  was,  therefore,  through  the  cabin, 
and  for  this  purpose  a  door  had  been  placed  in 
each  side.  The  cabin  could  be  approached  only 
on  the  east  and  west  sides,  and  was  unassailable 
at  its  north  and  south  ends. 

Each  wall  contained  a  small  window,  except 
the  one  which  rested  against  the  butte,  and  there 
a  wide,  stone  fireplace  had  been  built.  Three 
men  with  plenty  of  rations  and  ammunition  could 
make  a  good  defence.  Water  could  be  had  by 
lowering  a  bucket  or  canteen  from  the  southern 
window  to  the  spring,  twenty-four  feet  below 
its  sill. 

The  Indians  had  discovered  that  we  had  found 
shelter  from  their  pursuit  and  for  the  present 
were  safe,  and  all  but  five,  who  soon  afterwards 
appeared  in  the  edge  of  the  forest  to  the  east,  had 
joined  the  main  party  to  the  west  of  us.  They 
showed  great  respect  for  our  place  of  refuge  and 

56 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rifles,  and  kept  well  out  of  range.  The  ser 
geant's  and  my  Springfield  rifle  could  throw  a 
bullet  farther  and  could  be  loaded  more  rapidly 
than  any  rifles  in  their  possession,  and  Frank 
with  his  Spencer  could  fire  about  twenty  balls  to 
our  one. 

We  removed  the  saddles  and  bridles  from  our 
animals,  and,  hitching  them  in  the  corners  each 
side  of  the  fireplace,  began  a  discussion  of  our 
prospects. 

"If  we  could  keep  a  couple  of  fires  going  be 
fore  the  doors  during  the  night,  sir,"  said  the  ser 
geant,  "we  might  keep  them  away." 

"I  am  afraid  a  fire  would  be  of  greater  ad 
vantage  to  them  than  to  us,"  I  replied;  "we 
should  have  to  expose  ourselves  every  time  we 
replenished  it.  I  wonder  if  the  roof  is  covered 
with  earth?  It  is  flat." 

"  I'll  tell  you  in  half  a  minute,  sir,"  said  Frank, 
and  entering  the  fireplace  he  proceeded  to  as 
cend  the  wide-mouthed  chimney  by  stepping  on 
projecting  stones  of  which  it  was  built.  In  a 
moment  he  called  down  to  me,  "Yes,  sir;  it  is 
covered  with  about  two  feet  of  earth." 

"  All  right  then.  If  we  can  get  pine  enough  to 
57 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

keep  a  blaze  going  then  we  will  have  one.  A  fire 
on  the  roof  will  illuminate  everything  about  us 
and  leave  our  windows  and  doorways  in  darkness. 
It  will  aid  our  aim  and  confuse  the  Indians." 

We  set  to  work  at  once  and  pulled  down  all  the 
bunks,  and  with  large  stones  from  the  fireplace 
succeeded  in  breaking  into  fragments  the  pine 
puncheons  and  posts  of  which  they  were  made. 
Then  Sergeant  Cunningham  ascended  the  chim 
ney  and  tore  away  one  side  of  the  part  which  pro 
jected  above  the  roof — the  side  looking  in  the 
direction  opposite  the  precipice.  This  would 
enable  one  of  us  to  stand  in  the  top  and  replenish 
the  fire,  and  at  the  same  time  remain  concealed 
from  the  enemy.  As  we  could  be  fired  upon 
from  only  two  directions,  the  fire  tender  would 
be  safe. 

Fortunately,  Padre  Gutierrez's  housekeeper 
had  put  up  a  lunch  sufficient  to  last  us,  includ 
ing  Vic,  for  three  days,  and  water  could  be  drawn 
easily  through  the  southern  window  with  a  can 
teen  and  lariat. 

"I'm  afraid  those  chaps  '11  get  us  in  the  end, 
sir,"  observed  the  sergeant.  "Of  course  we  can 
eat  horse-meat  for  a  while  after  our  victuals  are 

58 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

gone,  but  we  are  three  and  they  are  twenty- 
seven — we  are  prisoners  and  they  are  free." 

"Very  true,  sergeant,"  I  replied,  "but  some 
thing  may  turn  up  in  our  favor.  The  Jemez 
party  will  reach  camp  day  after  to-morrow,  and 
when  it  learns  we  are  not  there  we  shall  be  looked 
up." 

"If  another  party  of  Navajos  don't  jump 
them,  sir." 

"Of  course,  the  chances  are  against  us,  ser 
geant,  but  let  us  keep  up  our  spirits  and  make  a 
good  fight." 

"  I'll  do  my  best,  sir,  as  I  always  have  done, 
but  this  is  a  beastly  hole  to  be  caught  in." 

"But  why  don't  you  send  Vic  for  help,  Mr. 
Duncan?"  asked  Frank. 

" Laddie,  I  believe  you  have  saved  us!  Thank 
you  for  the  suggestion.  We'll  put  the  little  girl's 
education  to  a  practical  test." 

"What!  Going  to  send  her  to  Jemez  for  the 
men?"  asked  Sergeant  Cunningham. 

"No;  I  hardly  think  I  could  make  her  under 
stand  our  wishes  in  that  direction,  but  there  is  no 
doubt  she  can  be  sent  to  camp.  She  has  done 
that  many  times." 

59 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Yes,  sir,  she'll  go  to  the  valley,"  said  Frank. 
"You  know  I  sent  her  with  a  message  to  you 
from  San  Antonio  Valley,  six  miles.  I  wonder 
how  far  camp  is  from  here?" 

"  'Bout  nine  miles,"  replied  the  sergeant; 
"but  she'll  do  it,  I  think.  Look  at  her!" 

Vic  had  come  forward,  and  sat  looking  intelli 
gently  from  one  to  the  other  of  us  while  this  dis 
cussion  ran  on. 

"All  right,  little  girl,"  I  said,  patting  and 
smoothing  her  silky  coat,"  you  shall  have  a  chance 
to  help  us  after  dusk.  Go  and  lie  down  now." 

The  dog  went  to  a  corner  and,  lying  down  on 
Frank's  saddle-blanket,  appeared  to  sleep;  and 
while  Corporal  Frank  took  my  place  at  a  window 
I  wrote  a  message  to  Sergeant  Mulligan  at  the 
camp,  describing  our  desperate  situation  and  re 
questing  him  to  send  a  detachment  to  our  rescue. 
I  also  prepared  a  flat,  pine  stick,  and  wrote  upon 
it,  in  plain  letters,  "  Examine  her  collar."  I  in 
tended  she  should  carry  the  stick  in  her  mouth, 
as  she  had  hitherto  carried  articles  and  messages, 
fearing  she  would  not  understand  she  was  to  go 
on  an  errand  unless  all  the  conditions  of  her  edu 
cation  were  observed. 

60 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

During  that  day  the  Navajos  simply  showed 
their  presence  occasionally  among  the  trees,  far 
away  on  either  flank.  We  once  heard  the  rapid 
strokes  of  an  axe,  as  of  chopping,  and  wondered 
what  it  could  mean.  Nothing  further  happened 
till  dusk.  Then  I  called  Vic  and  attached  the 
note  to  her  collar,  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  my 
handkerchief. 

"I  think,  sergeant,"  I  said,  "we  had  better 
send  our  message  before  it  gets  darker  and  the 
Navajos  close  up  nearer  or  the  corporal  lights 
his  fire." 

"Yes,  she  can't  leave  any  too  soon,  sir,  I 
think.  It's  going  to  be  pokerish  work  for  us  be 
fore  morning,  and  I  shall  be  mighty  glad  to  see  a 
few  of  old  Company  F  appear  round  that  rock." 

After  fastening  the  note  securely  in  the  dog's 
collar,  I  placed  the  stick  in  her  mouth  and,  open 
ing  the  eastern  door,  said,  "  Now,  little  Vic,  take 
that  stick  to  the  sergeant— go !" 

She  turned  from  the  doorway,  crossed  the 
room,  and  dropped  the  stick  at  Sergeant  Cun 
ningham's  feet.  The  sergeant  stooped,  and  plac 
ing  his  hand  under  her  chin  raised  her  head  up 
ward  and  laid  his  bronze  cheek  affectionately 

61 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

upon  it.  "Well,  Vicky,"  he  said,  "there  is  but 
one  sergeant  in  the  world  to  you,  and  he  is  here, 
isn't  he?" 

"That's  so,  sir,"  exclaimed  Corporal  Frank, 
addressing  me.  "  We  never  sent  her  to  anybody 
but  you,  the  sergeant,  and  the  cook." 

"True  enough.  I'll  have  to  send  her  to  the 
cook — the  only  one  now  in  camp  to  whom  she 
has  borne  messages.  As  he  is  the  dispenser  of 
fine  bones  and  dainties,  and  she  has  had  nothing 
to  eat  since  morning,  perhaps  it  is  as  well  he  is 
to  receive  this  message.  Here,  Vic,"  placing  the 
chip  once  more  in  her  mouth,  "  take  this  stick  to 
the  cook — go!" 

The  setter  looked  at  me  an  instant,  then  at  the 
sergeant  and  corporal,  walked  to  the  door,  looked 
out,  and  then  glanced  questioningly  at  me. 

"Yes,  little  one;  the  cook — go!" 

She  bounded  through  the  doorway  and  turned 
the  corner  of  the  butte  at  a  run,  bearing  our 
summons  to  our  comrades  at  Los  Valles  Grandes. 

For  some  time  after  the  departure  of  Vic  the 
sergeant  and  I  stood  at  our  windows  and  gloom 
ily  watched  the  darkness  deepen  in  the  woods. 
Frank  looked  out  of  the  window  above  the  spring 

62 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  was  also  silent.  I  was  disposed  to  put  off 
the  lighting  of  our  fire  upon  the  roof  as  long  as  it 
appeared  safe  to  do  so,  in  order  to  husband  our 
fuel.  The  animals,  disappointed  of  the  forage 
usually  furnished  them  at  this  hour,  stamped  im 
patiently  and  nosed  disdainfully  the  stale  straw 
and  pine  plumes  which  we  had  emptied  from  the 
bunks  and  which  were  now  scattered  over  the 
floor. 

It  was  during  a  momentary  lull  of  this  con 
tinuous  noise  that  I  heard  a  crushing  sound  as 
of  a  heavy  wheel  rolling  over  twigs  and  gravel, 
but  was  unable  to  guess  its  meaning. 

Fearing  that  further  delay  to  light  our  fire 
might  bring  disaster  upon  us,  I  told  Corporal 
Frank  to  kindle  it.  He  ascended  the  chimney, 
lighted  a  few  splinters  of  pitch-pine  and  placed 
them  upon  the  roof,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
well  lighted  added  to  them  half  a  dozen  billets  of 
wood  which  Sergeant  Cunningham  passed  up  to 
him.  Soon  a  brilliant  blaze  was  leaping  upward, 
and,  being  reflected  strongly  by  the  white  sand 
stone  of  the  overhanging  cliff,  lighted  the  whole 
space  about  the  cabin. 

As  soon  as  Frank  descended  to  the  floor  we 
63 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

gazed  long  and  anxiously  out  of  the  windows. 
Everything  about  us  was  now  plainly  visible  to 
our  eyes,  and  we  felt  sure  our  movements  could 
not  be  seen  by  the  Navajos.  To  the  east  all  was 
silent,  and  for  a  long  while  we  saw  nothing  in 
that  direction  to  suggest  a  lurking  foe.  To  the 
west  we  could  see  no  enemy,  but  the  same  mys 
terious  sound  of  crushing  and  grinding  came  to 
our  ears.  What  could  it  be,  and  what  did  it 
threaten?  Adjusting  my  field -glass  I  looked 
from  my  window  in  the  direction  of  the  puzzling 
sound,  and  on  the  farther  edge  of  the  opening, 
near  the  wood,  saw  a  log  about  three  feet  in  diam 
eter  and  twenty-five  or  more  in  length  slowly 
rolling  towards  us,  propelled  by  some  unseen 
force. 

Passing  the  glass  to  the  sergeant,  I  said:  "The 
Indians  seem  to  be  rolling  a  log  in  our  direction. 
What  do  you  think  of  it?" 

"I  think  it's  easy  to  understand,  sir,"  replied 
the  sergeant,  after  a  long  look.  "That  log  is  a 
movable  breastwork,  which  can  be  rolled  to  our 
door." 

"True,  sergeant.  Probably  a  dozen  or  more 
warriors  are  lying  behind  it  and  rolling  it  for- 

64 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ward.    Rather  a  black  prospect  for  us  if  we  can 
not  stop  it!" 

We  all  three  gathered  at  the  western  window, 
and  for  some  moment?  watched  the  slow  ap 
proach  of  the  moving  breastwork. 


A   SIEGE    AND    AN    AMBUSCADE 

WE  continued  to  watch  long  and  anxiously 
the  slowly  rolling  log.  Not  a  glimpse  of  the  mo 
tive  power  could  be  obtained,  but  it  ground  and 
crushed  its  way  along  with  ominous  certainty, 
straight  in  our  direction. 

Just  as  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
assistance  could  not  arrive  in  time,  the  log 
stopped.  I  looked  through  my  glass  and  saw 
the  cause. 

"Sergeant,"  I  exclaimed,  "the  log  has  struck 
a  rock!  Open  the  door  and  draw  a  bead  on  it! 
Don't  let  a  man  leap  over  it  to  remove  the  stone ! 
Corporal,  guard  the  east  window!" 

The  sergeant  stood  ready  at  the  open  door. 
All  the  efforts  of  the  prostrate  men  behind  the 
log  had  no  effect,  except  to  swing  the  end  far 
thest  from  the  obstacle  slightly  ahead. 

"There  seems  to  be  nothing  for  them  to  do 
66 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

but  to  remove  the  stone.  Keep  a  sharp  eye  on 
the  log,  sergeant!" 

I  had  hardly  spoken  when  a  sudden  discharge 
of  rifles  ran  irregularly  along  the  length  of  the 
log,  and  under  cover  of  the  fire  and  smoke  a  stal 
wart  warrior  leaped  over,  raised  the  stone,  and 
had  borne  it  nearly  to  the  top,  when  Sergeant 
Cunningham's  rifle  spoke  sharply. 

The  stone  dropped  on  our  side ;  the  Indian  fell 
forward,  with  his  arms  extended  towards  his 
friends,  who  pulled  him  over  the  log,  and  he  was 
screened  from  our  sight.  The  volley  of  the  Nav- 
ajos  did  us  no  harm. 

Corporal  Frank  replenished  the  fire  on  our 
roof  from  time  to  time,  and  our  vigilant  watch 
went  on.  At  last  the  sergeant,  who  still 
stood  at  the  open  door,  exclaimed,  "Lieutenant, 
the  stone  is  moving!  It's  dropping  into  the 
ground!" 

"It's  gone,  and  here  comes  our  fate,"  I  said. 
"They  must  have  dug  under  the  log  with  their 
knives  and  sunk  the  stone." 

"Yes,  sir,  and  they're  safe  to  reach  the  cabin 
door  and  roast  us  out." 

"  If  there  were  two  or  three  more  stones  in  the 
67 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

way,  sergeant,  the  delay  they  would  cause  might 
serve  us  until  help  comes." 

"I'll  run  out  there  with  one,  Mr.  Duncan," 
said  Frank. 

"No,  laddie,"  replied  the  sergeant,  "that's  a 
duty  for  me.  I'll  drop  a  couple  there  in  a  minute." 

"And  when  you  return,  sergeant,  I  will  drop 
two  more,"  said  I. 

We  went  quickly  to  work  to  carry  out  our  plan. 
The  corporal  once  more  mended  the  fire,  and  then 
we  selected  from  the  loose  rubbish  which  had 
been  torn  from  the  top  of  the  chimney  several 
large-sized  stones. 

Removing  his  shoes,  the  sergeant,  with  my 
assistance,  raised  two  big  stones  to  his  breast, 
and  stood  in  the  doorway  with  them  clasped 
firmly  in  his  arms.  I  took  the  revolvers  in  my 
hands,  whispered  the  word,  and  he  started  out 
at  a  rapid  walk,  setting  his  feet  down  carefully 
and  without  noise.  He  dropped  the  stones,  one 
before  the  other,  without  attracting  attention, 
and  regained  the  cabin  without  a  shot  being  fired 
on  either  side. 

Now  it  was  my  turn,  and  I  went  beyond  the 
place  where  he  had  dropped  his  last  stone. 

68 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

At  that  instant  an  alarm  was  shouted  from 
the  distant  wood,  and  an  Indian  raised  his  head 
above  the  log  and  fired.  The  bullet  struck  the 
falling  rock,  and  sent  a  shower  of  stinging  splin 
ters  into  my  face.  I  turned  and  fled. 

With  the  discharge  of  the  Indian's  rifle  Ser 
geant  Cunningham  and  Corporal  Frank  opened 
a  rapid  fusillade  with  the  revolvers,  which  suc 
cessfully  covered  my  retreat  to  the  cabin;  but 
we  knew  that  our  last  chance  at  stone-dropping 
was  past. 

Several  terribly  long  hours  had  crept  past 
since  we  saw  Vic  turn  the  butte  on  her  errand  to 
the  valleys.  Judging  by  the  time  it  had  taken 
the  Navajos  to  bore  a  tunnel  under  their  log  and 
undermine  the  first  trigging-stone,  we  estimated 
that  two  more  hours  must  pass  before  the  four 
obstructions  we  had  placed  in  their  way  could  be 
removed,  unless  they  took  some  more  speedy 
method. 

It  was  quite  nine  miles  to  camp,  and  the  dog 
could  easily  reach  it  in  about  an  hour.  If  she 
had  arrived,  help  should  by  this  time  be  fairly  on 
the  way;  but  if  she  had  been  killed  by  the  be 
siegers  before  she  reached  the  north  end  of 

69 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  butte,  or  had  been  torn  in  pieces  by  the 
wolves ! 

Should  the  log  once  reach  our  door,  we  could 
not  hope  to  do  more  than  make  the  price  of  our 
lives  dear  to  the  enemy. 

While  the  sergeant  and  I  stood  at  the  door  and 
window,  speculating  in  no  very  hopeful  vein  over 
these  probabilities,  there  came  a  scratch  at  the 
eastern  door.  Frank  was  at  the  window  on  that 
side,  and,  startled  by  the  sound,  he  called  to  us, 
"I'm  afraid  an  Indian  has  sneaked  up  on  us, 
sir." 

Again  the  scratching  was  heard,  this  time  ac 
companied  by  a  familiar  whine,  which  presently 
swelled  into  a  low  bark. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Duncan,  it's  Vic !  It's  Vic !"  shouted 
the  boy,  and,  springing  to  the  door,  he  flung  it 
wide  open. 

In  trotted  Vic,  and,  coming  up  to  me,  she 
dropped  a  stick  at  my  feet  bearing  the  words: 
"  In  the  collar,  as  before." 

It  took  some  little  time  for  Corporal  Frank 
to  secure  the  messenger.  She  capered  about  the 
room,  licked  our  hands  and  faces,  jumped  up  to 
the  noses  of  the  ponies,  and  behaved  as  if  she 

70 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

was  conscious  of  having  performed  a  great  feat 
and  was  overjoyed  to  have  returned  safely. 

But  Vic  surrendered  to  the  boy  at  last,  and, 
submitting  her  neck  for  inspection,  he  found  at 
tached  to  her  collar  a  letter  which  read  as  fol 
lows: 

"CAMP  AT  Los  VALLES  GRANDES. 
"November  20,  1863. 

"Lieutenant, — Message  received,  and  the  messenger 
fed.  Corporal  Coffey  and  eight  men  leave  here  at 

"JAMES  MULLIGAN,  Sergeant" 

"  Come  here,  little  doggie,"  said  Sergeant  Cun 
ningham.  "If  we  get  out  of  this,  the  company 
shall  pay  for  a  silver  collar  and  a  medal  of  honor 
for  the  finest  dog  in  the  army." 

"If  that  detail  marches  at  the  regulation  gait 
of  three  miles  an  hour,"  I  said,  "  it  should  be  here 
by  a  quarter-past  one,  and  it  is  now  a  quarter  to 
twelve." 

My  anxiety  over  our  prospects  was  so  great  I 
neglected  to  show  proper  gratitude  to  our  de 
voted  messenger. 

"The  men  will  do  better  than  that,  sir,  if  they 
keep  on  the  road.  The  trouble  will  be  in  finding 
this  trail.  They  have  never  been  this  way." 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"I  think  the  junction  of  this  and  the  hot- 
springs  trail  cannot  be  far  from  here.  Let's  take 
a  shot  at  that  log  every  three  minutes  from  now 
on,  and  the  noise  may  attract  our  friends." 

We  began  firing  at  once,  aiming  at  the  under 
side  of  the  log  where  it  touched  the  earth.  I  am 
confident  this  must  have  sent  some  sand  and 
gravel  into  the  eyes  of  the  rollers,  if  it  did  no 
other  damage. 

Two  of  the  trigging-stones  we  had  dropped 
were  soon  undermined  and  sunk,  and  the  log  had 
stopped  at  the  third,  less  than  a  hundred  yards 
away.  As  it  came  on,  the  sergeant  climbed  to 
the  top  of  the  chimney,  and  shortly  afterwards 
returned  with  the  report  that  he  had  seen  the 
prostrate  body  of  a  warrior  revealed  beyond- 
good  evidence  that  his  first  shot  had  been  fatal. 
If  the  next  two  stones  should  be  as  rapidly  re 
moved  as  the  others,  we  feared  the  Indians  would 
reach  us,  unless  the  rescuing  party  prevented,  at 
about  half -past  twelve. 

Marked  by  our  periodical  shots  at  the  log,  the 
time  hurried  all  too  rapidly  on,  the  Indians 
slowly  and  surely  approaching  the  cabin. 

The   third   stone   disappeared,    and   the   log 
72 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

moved  with  a  louder  grating  over  the  gravelly 
soil  to  the  fourth  and  last  obstacle,  about  thirty 
yards  away,  and  paused. 

"I  believe,  lieutenant,"  said  Cunningham,  "I 
could  hit  those  fellows'  legs  now  from  the  chim 
ney." 

"All  right,  sergeant.  Close  your  door  and  go 
up  and  try  it,"  I  replied.  "A  redskin  with  a 
broken  leg  can  do  us  as  little  injury  as  one  with  a 
broken  head." 

The  words  were  hardly  spoken  and  the  ser 
geant  had  barely  reached  the  fireplace,  when,  as 
if  in  anticipation  of  this  movement,  two  figures 
leaped  over  the  end  of  the  log  nearest  the  per 
pendicular  rock,  ran  to  the  corner  formed  by  the 
cabin  and  the  wall,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  dove 
tailed  ends  of  the  logs  clambered  quickly  to  the 
roof.  I  sent  a  shot  at  them,  but  it  had  no  effect. 

No  sooner  had  they  reached  the  roof  than  they 
threw  the  flaming  brands  and  coal  of  our  bonfire 
down  the  chimney,  where  they  broke  into  frag 
ments  and  rolled  over  the  floor,  setting  fire  to  the 
scattered  straw  and  plumes. 

Busy  putting  stops  into  the  windows,  and  fas 
tening  them  and  the  doors,  we  could  do  nothing 

73 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

to  extinguish  the  fire  before  it  got  well  under 
way. 

A  blanket  was  thrown  over  the  top  of  the 
chimney  to  prevent  a  draught,  and  soon  the 
whole  interior  was  thick  with  stifling  smoke. 

The  horses  plunged  frantically,  sending  the 
fire  in  every  direction.  Our  eyes  began  to  smart 
painfully,  and  we  felt  ourselves  suffocating  and 
choking  in  the  thick  and  poisonous  atmosphere. 

To  remain  in  the  house  was  to  be  burned  alive ; 
to  leave  it  was  to  perish,  perhaps,  in  a  still  more 
horrible  way.  Just  as  I  was  on  the  brink  of  de 
spair,  the  sergeant  gasped  rather  than  spoke: 

"They  are  here,  lieutenant.     Hark!    Hark!" 

Ping!  Ping!  We  heard  the  sound  of  rifle 
shots,  accompanied  by  a  good,  honest,  Anglo- 
Saxon  cheer.  Was  there  ever  sweeter  music  ? 

The  war-whoops  ceased,  the  blanket  was  quick 
ly  withdrawn  from  the  chimney-top,  and  two 
thuds  on  the  east  side  of  the  cabin  showed  the 
Indians  had  left  the  roof.  A  general  scurrying 
of  feet  and  other  thuds  down  the  perpendicular 
wall  back  of  the  spring  were  evidence  that  the  be 
siegers  were  in  full  and  demoralized  flight. 

We  threw  the  doors  open,  and  our  friends 
74 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rushed  in,  and  before  a  greeting  was  uttered  feet 
and  butts  of  rifles  were  sweeping  brands  and 
straw  into  the  fireplace,  and  the  roaring  draught 
was  fast  clearing  the  air. 

Before  I  had  fairly  recovered  my  sight,  and 
while  still  engaged  in  wiping  away  the  tears 
the  smoke  had  excited  to  copious  flow,  I  heard 
a  sobbing  voice  near  me  say : 

"Oh,  Franky,  brother,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
dear  little  Vicky  what  would  have  happened  to 
you?" 

Blinking  my  eyes  open,  I  saw  the  boy  corporals 
with  their  right  arms  about  each  other's  neck, 
holding  their  Spencers  by  the  muzzles  in  their 
left  hands. 

"Why,  Henry,"  I  said,  "you  did  not  make 
that  march  with  the  men?" 

"Couldn't  keep  him  back,  sir,"  answered  Cor 
poral  Coffey.  "Said  his  place  was  with  his 
brother.  Made  the  march  like  a  man,  and  fired 
the  first  shot  when  we  turned  the  bluff." 

We  shook  hands  all  round,  and  then  went  out 
to  see  whether  the  volleys  of  the  rescuing  party 
had  inflicted  any  punishment  upon  the  Navajos. 
Two  dead  Indians  lay  near  the  cabin,  and  farther 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

away  the  one  that  had  fallen  when  attempting  to 
remove  the  obstacle  before  the  log.  There  were 
traces  of  others  having  been  wounded. 

A  fire  was  promptly  kindled  outside  the  cabin, 
and  we  sat  about  it  for  a  time  to  rest  and  enjoy  a 
lunch.  The  horses  had  been  somewhat  singed 
about  the  legs,  but  were  not  disabled.  An  hour 
afterwards  Sergeant  Cunningham  placed  Corporal 
Henry  on  his  pony,  Chiquita,  and  we  started  for 
the  valleys. 

At  daybreak  the  day  after  we  left  Jemez  we 
reached  camp,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  same 
day  the  detachment  we  had  left  behind  for  a  rest 
also  arrived,  without  adventure  on  the  march. 
Cordova  and  his  son  at  once  set  out  on  the  trail 
of  the  Navajos,  whom  we  reported  to  be  in  pos 
session  of  their  animals,  to  ascertain  why  they 
were  in  our  vicinity. 

After  four  days'  scouting  the  Mexicans  returned 
with  the  information  that  they  found  the  Indians 
had  left  their  camp  on  the  Jemez  road  after  their 
defeat.  They  had  struck  straight  through  the 
hills  for  the  Rio  Grande,  where  they  joined  the 
main  body,  the  same  which  had  attacked  us  the 
day  after  our  arrival  in  the  valleys,  and  which 

76 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

had  recently  made  several  successful  raids  on 
the  flocks  and  herds  near  Pena  Blanca  and 
Galisteo. 

It  was  the  guide's  opinion  that  the  party  which 
had  besieged  me  in  the  cabin  had  been  to  the 
valleys  to  see  what  chance  there  was  of  running 
captured  stock  through  there.  Their  report 
must  have  been  favorable,  for  Cordova  said  a  de 
tachment  of  forty-seven  Navajos  was  now  en 
camped  in  Los  Vallecitos,  apparently  intending 
to  pass  us  the  following  night  with  a  large  num 
ber  of  cattle,  horses,  mules,  and  sheep. 

I  began  at  once  to  make  preparations  to  retake 
the  stolen  stock  and  to  capture  the  Navajos. 

That  the  Navajos,  if  they  were  watching  our 
movements,  might  not  surmise  we  knew  of  their 
presence  near  us,  I  ordered  the  scouting  party 
and  huntsmen  not  to  go  out  next  morning,  and 
all  the  men  to  keep  within  the  limits  of  the 
parade. 

The  next  evening  I  marched  all  the  company, 
except  the  guard,  including  the  boy  corporals, 
by  way  of  the  reserved  trail  into  the  valley  of  St. 
Anthony,  and  entered  La  Puerta  from  the  west 
ern  end.  This  was  done  for  fear  some  advance- 

77 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

guard  of  the  redmen  might  witness  our  move 
ment  if  we  went  by  the  usual  way,  and  because 
so  large  a  party  might  leave  a  trail  visible  to  the 
keenly  observant  enemy  even  by  starlight,  and 
there  would  be  moonlight  before  we  could  cross 
the  valley. 

It  was  my  intention  to  make  an  ambush  in 
La  Puerta.  In  the  narrowest  part  of  that  canon, 
where  it  was  barely  fifty  yards  wide,  the  walls 
rose  perpendicularly  on  each  side.  A  hundred 
yards  east  and  west  of  this  narrowest  portion  of 
the  pass  were  good  places  of  concealment.  I 
placed  Sergeant  Cunningham  and  thirteen  men 
at  the  western  end,  and  took  as  many  and  the 
boys  with  me  to  the  eastern. 

The  sergeant  was  instructed  to  keep  his  men 
perfectly  quiet  until  the  head  of  the  herd  had 
passed  their  place  of  concealment,  and  then, 
under  cover  of  the  noise  made  by  the  moving 
animals,  to  slip  down  into  the  canon,  and  when 
the  rear  of  the  herd  came  up  make  a  dash  across 
the  front  of  the  Indians  and  begin  firing,  taking 
care  not  to  hit  us. 

For  myself,  I  intended  to  drop  into  the  pass 
with  my  detachment  when  the  Navajo  rear  had 

78 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

passed,  deploy,  and  bag  the  whole  party  and  the 
booty. 

It  was  a  long  and  tiresome  wait  before  the  raid 
ers  appeared.  The  men  had  been  told  that  they 
might  sleep,  and  many  of  them  had  availed  them 
selves  of  the  permission. 

The  moon  rose  soon  after  ten  o'clock,  and 
made  our  surroundings  plainly  visible  in  the 
rarefied  atmosphere  peculiar  to  the  arid  region 
of  the  plains  and  Rockies.  I  sat  on  a  bowlder 
and  watched  through  the  tedious  hours  until 
three  o'clock,  when  Corporal  Frank  approached 
from  the  direction  of  the  place  where  his  brother 
was  sleeping. 

"What  sound  is  that,  Mr.  Duncan?"  he  whis 
pered. 

I  listened  intently,  and  presently  heard  the  dis 
tant  bleating  of  sheep,  and  soon  after  the  deeper 
low  of  an  ox. 

"  The  Indians  must  be  approaching,"  I  replied. 
"You  may  stir  up  the  men.  Be  careful  that  no 
noise  is  made." 

I  continued  to  listen,  and  after  a  long  time 
noticed  a  sound  like  the  rushing  of  wind  in  a  pine 
forest.  It  was  the  myriad  feet  of  the  coming 

79 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

flocks  and  herds,  hurrying  along  the  grassy  val 
ley.  The  men  began  to  assemble  about  me,  all 
preserving  perfect  silence,  listening  for  the  ap 
proaching  Indians. 

Another  half-hour  passed,  and  over  a  roll  in 
the  surface  of  the  valley,  revealed  against  the 
sky,  looking  many  times  their  actual  size  in  the 
uncertain  perspective,  appeared  two  tall  figures, 
whose  nearer  approach  showed  to  be  mounted 
Indians  piloting  the  captured  stock,  which  fol 
lowed  close  behind. 

"Corporal  Henry,"  I  said,  "drop  carefully 
down  into  the  trail  and  skirt  closely  along  the 
wall  until  you  come  to  Sergeant  Cunningham's 
position,  and  tell  him  the  Indians  are  close  by. 
Tell  him  also  to  allow  the  two  Indians  in  advance 
to  pass  unmolested." 

I  sent  this  order  by  the  younger  boy  because  I 
suspected  he  was  feeling  that  Corporal  Frank's 
expedition  to  Jemez,  with  the  adventures  of  the 
return  trip,  had  given  him  a  certain  prominence 
to  be  envied.  I  meant  Henry  should  divide  hon 
ors  with  his  brother  hereafter. 

The  little  corporal  silently  disappeared  be 
neath  the  wall,  and  a  few  minutes  afterwards  the 

80 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

two  Indians  entered  the  defile,  and  the  goats  and 
sheep,  which  had  been  spread  widely  over  the 
open  valley,  scampered,  crowded,  and  overleaped 
one  another  as  they  closed  into  the  narrow  way. 
There  seemed  to  be  fully  two  thousand  of 
them,  intermingled  with  a  motley  herd  of  horses, 
mules,  asses,  and  kine  of  all  sizes  and  descrip 
tions,  numbering  three  hundred  or  more,  all 
driven  by  a  party  of  seventy-three  Indians. 

The  cattle-thieves  were  evidently  congratu 
lating  themselves  upon  having  run  the  gantlet 
of  the  military  camp  and  being  out  of  danger, 
for  they  had  abandoned  the  traditional  reserve 
of  the  Indian  race,  and  were  talking  loudly  and 
hilariously  as  they  passed  my  wing  of  the  am 
buscade.  The  Indians  fell  completely  into  the 
trap,  and  they  and  the  cattle  with  them  were 
captured  without  any  difficulty. 

During  the  winter  our  supply  of  grain  ran 
short,  and  I  sent  a  party,  with  the  Cordovas  as 
guides,  to  Jemez.  They  were  unable  to  get 
through  the  snow,  and  the  elder  Cordova  was  so 
badly  frost-bitten  that  in  spite  of  all  we  could  do 
he  died  in  the  camp. 

Then  I  went  with  a  larger  party,  and  was  suc- 
e  81 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

cessful.  On  June  ist  orders  came  to  break  up 
the  camp,  and  on  the  gth  the  accumulated  stores 
of  nineteen  months'  occupation  were  packed, 
and  with  a  train  of  ten  wagons  we  set  out  for 
Santa  Fe\ 


VI 

CROSSING    THE    RIVER 

Two  days  after  my  arrival  at  the  Territorial 
capital  I  was  ordered  to  proceed  alone  to  Los 
Pinos,  a  town  two  hundred  miles  south,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  report  to  Cap 
tain  Bayard,  commanding  officer  of  a  column 
preparing  for  a  march  to  Arizona. 

On  reaching  Algodones,  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  great  river,  I  was  visited  by  a  Catholic 
priest.  He  told  me  that  Manuel  Perea,  the  Mex 
ican  lad  with  whom  the  boy  corporals  were  so 
friendly  at  Santa  Fe",  was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands 
of  Elarnagan,  a  chief  of  the  Navajos.  He  begged 
me  to  assist  in  his  release,  and  I  promised  to  do 
all  I  could,  consistently  with  my  military  duty. 
Two  days  after  arriving  at  Los  Pinos,  where  I 
found  a  troop  of  California  volunteer  cavalry  and 
also  another  troop  of  New  Mexican  volunteers, 
the  boy  corporals  unexpectedly  arrived.  Colonel 

83 


CAPTURED    BY    THE   NAVAJOS 

Burton  had  changed  his  plans  and  had  allowed 
them  to  accompany  me.  They  at  once  asked  to 
be  assigned  to  duty,  and  I  promised  to  consult 
with  Captain  Bayard. 

My  interview  with  him  concluded,  I  returned 
to  my  tent  and  found  the  boys  busy  in  fitting  up 
two  cot  bedsteads,  spreading  mats  before  them, 
hanging  a  small  mirror  to  the  rear  tent-pole,  and 
arranging  their  marching  outfit  as  they  proposed 
to  set  it  up  at  every  encampment  between  the 
Rio  Grande  and  Prescott. 

"  Did  you  have  this  tent  pitched  for  our  use, 
sir?"  asked  Henry. 

"  I  did  not  know  you  were  coming,  corporal, 
so  that  is  impossible.  Your  tent  was  placed  here 
some  days  ago  by  the  post  commander,  for 
the  accommodation  of  visiting  officers  who  have 
since  gone.  Captain  Bayard  has  assigned  it  to 
you." 

"Then  we  are  to  have  the  tent  to  ourselves?" 

"Yes." 

"Isn't  that  just  jolly,  Frank?" 

"Fine.  To-morrow  we'll  place  a  short  rail 
across  the  back  for  our  saddles  and  saddle-blank 
ets,  two  pegs  in  the  tent-pole  for  bridles,  and 

84 


CAPTURED    BY   THE    NAVAJOS 

raise  a  box  somewhere  for  curry-combs  and 
brushes." 

"Can't  we  have  Vic  here,  too,  sir?"  asked 
Henry. 

"And  leave  me  all  alone?"  I  replied. 

"You  wouldn't  mind  it,  would  you,  sir?" 

"Well,  I'll  leave  it  to  Vic.  You  may  make  a 
bed  for  her,  and  we'll  see  which  she  will  occupy — 
yours,  or  her  old  bed  near  mine." 

"All  right,  sir;  we'll  try  it  to-night." 

"Now  something  about  yourselves,  boys. 
Your  tent  is  to  be  always  pitched  on  the  left  of 
mine;  you  are  to  take  your  meals  with  the  offi 
cers,  and  your  ponies  will  be  taken  care  of  by 
one  of  the  men  who — " 

"That  will  not  do,  sir,"  interrupted  Frank. 
"Father  has  always  required  us  to  take  care  of 
our  arms,  clothing,  and  horses  like  other  soldiers, 
just  as  we  always  did  in  the  valleys,  you  know. 
He  says  an  officer  who  rides  on  a  march,  particu 
larly  an  infantry  officer,  should  not  require  a  sol 
dier  who  has  marched  on  foot  to  wait  upon 
him." 

"  Very  well ;  do  as  you  choose." 

I  returned  to  my  own  tent  and  went  to  bed. 
85 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Placing  two  candles  on  a  support  near  my  pillow, 
I  tucked  the  lower  edge  of  the  mosquito  -  bar 
under  the  edge  of  my  mattress,  and,  settling  back 
comfortably,  proceeded  to  read  the  last  instal 
ment  of  news  from  "the  States" — news  which 
had  been  fifteen  days  on  the  way  from  the  Mis 
souri.  As  I  read  of  battle,  siege,  and  march  I 
was  conscious  that  the  boys  were  having  some 
difficulty  in  inducing  Vic  to  remain  with  them. 
When  at  last  all  was  quiet,  except  their  regular 
and  restful  breathing,  a  soft  nose  was  thrust  up 
to  my  pillow,  and  I  opened  an  aperture  in  the 
netting  large  enough  to  exchange  affectionate 
greetings,  and  Vic  cuddled  down  on  her  bed  be 
side  mine  and  went  to  sleep.  This  was  always 
her  custom  thereafter.  While  she  was  very  fond 
of  the  boys,  and  spent  most  of  her  waking  hours 
with  them,  no  persuasion  or  blandishments  could 
prevent  her,  when  she  knew  the  boys  had  dropped 
into  unconsciousness,  from  returning  to  my  tent, 
offering  me  a  good-night  assurance  of  her  un 
changed  affection,  and  going  to  sleep  upon  her 
old  bed. 

The  time  had  now  come  for  us  to  begin  our 
march  to  Arizona.    Company  F  had  arrived,  and 

86 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  boy  corporals  were  again  in  possession  of 
their  beautiful  horses.  Grain,  hay,  and  careful 
attendance  had  put  new  graces  into  the  pomes' 
shapes,  and  kind  treatment  had  developed  in 
each  a  warm  attachment  for  its  young  master. 

The  first  day  of  our  march  was  spent  in  cross 
ing  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  and  making  camp 
four  miles  beyond  the  opposite  landing.  There 
was  a  ferry-boat  at  Los  Pinos,  operated  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  post,  capable  of  taking  over  four 
wagons  at  a  time. 

We  rose  at  an  earlier  hour  than  usual,  and  by 
daybreak  our  train  of  eighty -nine  wagons,  drawn 
by  five  hundred  and  thirty-four  mules,  was  on 
its  way  to  the  river.  The  two  boy  corporals 
joined  me  as  I  followed  the  last  wagon.  Mount 
ed  on  their  handsome  animals,  with  carbines  on 
their  right  hips,  revolvers  in  their  belts,  port 
manteaus  behind  their  saddles,  and  saddle- 
pouches  on  each  side,  they  were,  indeed,  very 
warlike  in  appearance. 

The  two  detachments  of  cavalry  and  their 
officers,  accompanied  by  a  paymaster  and  a  sur 
geon,  proceeded  at  once  to  the  river,  crossed  and 
went  into  camp,  leaving  the  infantry  and  its  of- 

87 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ficers  to  perform  the  labor  of  transferring,  from 
one  shore  to  the  other,  wagons  and  mules,  a  herd 
of  three  hundred  beef  cattle,  and  a  flock  of  eight 
hundred  sheep.  The  boy  corporals  also  remain 
ed  behind  to  act  as  messengers,  should  any  be 
required. 

Mules  and  oxen  swam  the  stream,  but  the 
sheep  were  boated  across.  On  the  last  trip  over 
our  attention  was  attracted  by  a  sudden  shouting 
up-stream,  followed  by  a  rapid  discharge  of  fire 
arms.  In  the  river,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant,  were  several  objects  making  their 
way  towards  the  western  shore.  When  near  the 
bank,  and  in  shoaling  water,  we  saw  the  objects 
rise,  until  three  Indians  and  three  ponies  stood 
revealed.  As  soon  as  they  reached  the  shore  the 
men  sprang  into  their  saddles  and  rode  rapidly 
away. 

A  shout  from  our  rear  caused  us  to  look  towards 
the  shore  we  had  just  left,  and  we  saw  the  post- 
adjutant  sitting  on  his  horse  on  the  embank 
ment.  He  said:  "Three  Navajos  have  escaped 
from  the  guard.  Send  word  to  Captain  Bayard 
to  try  to  recapture  them.  If  they  get  away 
they  will  rouse  their  people  against  you,  and 

88 


1 

"if 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

your  march  through  their  country  will  be  diffi 
cult." 

I  wrote  a  brief  message,  handed  it  to  Corporal 
Frank,  and  when  the  boat  touched  the  western 
landing  he  dashed  off  at  full  speed  in  the  direc 
tion  of  camp. 

The  afternoon  was  well  advanced  when  Henry 
and  I,  with  the  infantry,  entered  the  first  camp 
of  our  march.  We  found  Frank  awaiting  our 
arrival,  and  learned  from  him  that  Captain  Bay 
ard  had  sent  two  detachments  of  cavalry  in  pur 
suit  of  the  Indians,  and  that  they  had  returned 
after  a  fruitless  attempt  to  follow  the  trail. 

On  our  first  evening  in  camp  many  of  the  of 
ficers  and  civilians  gathered  in  groups  about  the 
fires  for  protection  against  the  mosquitos,  to 
smoke,  to  discuss  the  route,  and  to  relate  inci 
dents  of  other  marches.  Captain  Bayard  took 
from  his  baggage  a  violin,  and,  retiring  a  little 
apart,  sawed  desperately  at  a  difficult  and  ap 
parently  unconquerable  exercise.  There  I  found 
him  at  the  end  of  a  tour  of  inspection  of  train  and 
animals,  and  obtained  his  sanction  to  a  plan  for 
the  employment  of  the  boy  corporals. 

I  proceeded  to  tell  the  boys  what  their  duties 
89 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

would  be.  Corporal  Frank  was  to  see  to  the 
providing  of  wood,  water,  and  grass  while  we 
were  on  the  march.  He  was  further  instructed 
that  he  was  to  conform  his  movements  to  mine, 
and  act  as  my  messenger  between  the  train,  the 
main  body,  and  the  rear  guard.  These  were  to 
be  his  regular  duties,  but  he  was  to  hold  himself 
in  readiness  for  other  service,  and  be  on  the  alert 
for  any  emergency. 

The  odometer  with  which  to  measure  the  dis 
tance  to  Prescott  was  placed  in  charge  of  Corporal 
Henry,  and  he  was  told  to  strap  this  to  the  spokes 
near  the  hub  of  the  right  hind  wheel  of  the  last 
wagon  in  the  train,  taking  care  that  the  wagon 
should  start  from  the  same  point  where  it  had 
turned  from  the  main  road  into  camp  the  pre 
vious  day.  He  was  to  report  the  distance  we  had 
marched  to  the  commanding  officer  at  guard - 
mounting,  which,  on  the  march,  always  takes 
place  in  the  evening  instead  of  morning,  as  at 
posts  and  permanent  camps.  After  reaching 
Fort  Wingate,  and  taking  up  the  march  beyond, 
he  would  ride  with  the  advance,  and  act  as  mes 
senger  of  communication  with  the  rear ;  but  until 
then  he  would  ride  with  his  brother  and  me. 

90 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  next  morning  found  all  ready  for  a  start 
at  three  o'clock.  The  boy  corporals  found  it  a 
hardship  to  be  wakened  out  of  a  sound  sleep  to 
wash  and  dress  by  starlight  and  sit  down  to  a 
breakfast-table  lighted  by  dim  lanterns.  There 
was  little  conversation.  All  stood  about  the 
camp-fires  in  light  overcoats  or  capes,  for  West 
ern  nights  are  always  cool. 

When  the  boys  and  I  started  to  ride  out  of 
camp  we  were,  for  a  few  moments,  on  the  flank 
of  the  infantry  company.  It  was  noticeable  that 
although  the  men  were  marching  at  "route 
step,"  when  they  are  not  required  to  preserve 
silence,  few  of  them  spoke,  and  very  rarely, 
and  they  moved  quite  slowly.  Corporal  Henry, 
at  the  end  of  a  prolonged  yawn,  asked,  "Are 
we  going  to  start  at  this  hour  every  morn 
ing,  sir?" 

"Yes,  usually,"  I  replied. 

"How  far  do  we  go  to-day,  Frank?" 

"Eighteen  miles  is  the  scheduled  distance," 
answered  Frank. 

"How  fast  do  men  march?" 

"Three  miles  an  hour,"  said  I. 

"  Then  we  shall  be  in  camp  by  ten  o'clock.     I 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

don't  see  the  sense  of  yanking  a  fellow  out  of  bed 
in  the  night." 

"Of  course,  Henry,  there's  a  good  reason  for 
everything  done  in  the  army,"  observed  Frank, 
with  soldierly  loyalty. 

"Where's  the  sense  of  marching  in  the  dark 
when  the  whole  distance  can  be  done  in  six  hours, 
and  the  sun  rises  at  five  and  sets  at  seven?  I 
prefer  daylight." 

Evidently  our  youngest  corporal  had  not  had 
his  sleep  out,  and  was  out  of  humor. 

"Will  you  please  explain,  sir?"  asked  Frank. 

"With  pleasure,"  I  answered.  "It  is  more 
comfortable  to  march  in  the  early  morning,  when 
it  is  cool.  Marches  rarely  exceed  fifteen  or  twen 
ty  miles  a  day,  except  where  the  distance  be 
tween  watering-places  is  more  than  that.  Some 
times  we  are  obliged  to  march  forty  miles  a  day." 

"Seems  to  me  the  officers  are  very  tender  of 
the  men,"  observed  the  sleepy  Henry.  "Fif 
teen  and  twenty  miles  a  day,  and  five  or  six 
hours  on  the  road,  can't  tire  them  much." 

"  Why  not  try  a  march  on  foot,  Henry?"  sug 
gested  his  brother.  "It  might  prove  a  useful 
experience." 

92 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Let  me  suggest  something  better,"  said  I. 
"Tie  your  pony  to  the  back  of  that  wagon,  and 
crawl  in  on  top  of  the  bedding  and  have  your  nap 
out." 

Henry  disdained  to  reply,  but  with  a  long  and 
shivering  yawn  relapsed  into  silence. 

In  a  little  more  than  six  hours  we  reached  the 
Rio  Puerco,  and  forded  its  roily,  brackish  cur 
rent  to  a  camping-place  on  the  other  side.  Har 
ry,  who  with  daylight  and  warmth  had  recov 
ered  his  good -humor,  examined  the  odometer 
and  reported  the  distance  travelled  to  be  18.65 
miles.  He  entered  in  his  note-book  that  the 
Spanish  name  Puerco  meant,  as  a  noun,  hog,  and 
as  an  adjective,  dirty.  He  thought  the  river 
well  named.  He  also  mentioned  that  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  stream  there  was  an  excellent 
camping-place,  but  that  much  pains  had  been 
taken  to  ford  it  to  a  very  poor  one.  After  pon 
dering  this  apparently  unreasonable  movement 
he  asked:  "  Why  did  we  not  camp  on  that  grassy 
park  on  the  opposite  side?" 

"  I  suppose  it  appears  to  you  there  can  be  no 
good  reason  for  crossing  to  this  side?"  I  asked,  in 
reply. 

93 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  It  does  seem  even  more  absurd  than  starting 
on  a  march  just  after  midnight — something  like 
going  into  a  wood-shed  to  rest  on  a  wood-pile 
when  one  could  as  well  go  into  a  parlor  and  rest 
on  a  divan." 

"And  certainly,"  added  Frank,  "we  have 
gained  nothing  in  distance  in  crossing.  The 
march  is  to  be  short  to-morrow." 

"  Still,  boys,  there  is  quite  as  good  a  reason  for 
doing  this  as  for  starting  early  to  avoid  the  heat 
of  the  day.  These  Far  Western  streams  have  a 
trick  of  rising  suddenly ;  very  rarely,  to  be  sure, 
but  frequently  enough  to  cause  commanding 
officers  to  be  on  their  guard.  A  rainfall  fifty  or 
seventy-five  miles  up-stream  might  send  down  a 
volume  of  water  that  would  make  it  impassable 
for  several  hours  or  several  days,  according  as 
the  fall  is  large  or  small ;  so  the  rule  in  the  army 
is,  'cross  a  stream  before  camping." 

"  Have  you  ever  been  caught  by  a  rise,  sir?" 

"Twice.  Once  on  this  very  stream,  near  its 
mouth.  I  was  in  command  of  a  small  escort  to  a 
train.  The  wagon-master  advised  me  to  cross, 
but  I  was  tempted  by  a  fine  meadow  on  the  lower 
side,  in  contrast  to  a  rough  place  on  the  opposite 

94 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

side,  to  take  my  chances.  I  was  compelled  to 
remain  there  five  days.  The  other  delay  was  on 
the  Gallina;  but  that  was  rising  when  we  ap 
proached  and  we  had  no  choice  about  crossing. 
We  were  delayed  that  time  but  two  days." 

"I  heard  the  paymaster  and  surgeon  grum 
bling  about  the  folly  of  crossing  just  now,"  said 
Frank. 

"Very  likely;  this  is  their  first  march  in  the 
Far  West." 

"The  captain  and  lieutenants  heard  them, 
but  did  not  explain,  as  you  have.  Why  was 
that?" 

"There  are  two  reasons.  One  is  that  in  the 
army,  as  well  as  out  of  it,  '  tenderfeet '  are  left  to 
learn  by  experience ;  the  other  is  that  our  surgeon 
resents  being  cautioned  or  advised.  Now,  boys, 
after  dinner  you  had  better  take  a  siesta.  By 
doing  so  you  will  find  it  less  difficult  to  make  an 
early  start  to-morrow  morning." 

"Thank  you,"  replied  Frank.  "Tom  Clary 
and  George  Hoey  have  told  us  that  a  nap  is  the 
correct  thing  after  dinner  on  the  march.  Henry 
and  I  are  going  to  try  it." 

"I  am  sorry,  sir,"  added  Henry,  "that  I  was 
95 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

so  ill-humored  this  morning.  I  will  try  to  do  as 
the  soldiers  do  when  they  first  start  out — say 
nothing  till  day  breaks." 

"The  early  start  was  a  surprise  to  you;  you 
will  be  prepared  for  it  hereafter." 

A  reverberating  peal  of  thunder  interrupted 
our  conversation  and  caused  us  to  glance  tow 
ards  the  west.  There  we  saw  a  mass  of  dark 
clouds  rolling  down  upon  us.  Bolt  after  bolt  of 
lightning  zigzagged  across  the  sky  and  from  sky 
to  earth,  and  peal  after  peal  of  thunder  crashed 
upon  our  ears. 


VII 

A   SWOLLEN    STREAM   AND   STOLEN   PONY 

IT  was  our  custom  at  all  camps  to  park  the 
supply-train  in  the  form  of  an  oval,  with  the 
tongues  of  the  wagons  outward  and  the  wheels 
locked.  An  entrance,  the  width  of  a  wagon,  was 
left  at  one  end. 

When,  therefore,  it  became  certain  that  a  tem 
pest  was  about  to  break  upon  us,  using  the  boy 
corporals  as  messengers,  the  chief  wagon-master 
received  orders  from  me  to  drive  up  the  mules 
and  corral  them  within  the  circle  of  wagons,  and 
the  commissary  stock  was  hurried  under  the 
shelter  of  a  rocky  mesa  west  of  the  camp.  All 
this  was  to  prevent  a  stampede  should  the 
coming  tempest  be  accompanied  by  wind  and 
hail. 

Tent-pins  were  driven  in  deeper,  guys  tight 
ened,  cavalry  horses  driven  up,  hobbled,  and  se 
cured  to  picket  ropes,  loose  articles  thrown  into 
7  97 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

wagons,  and  every  precaution  taken  to  be  in 
readiness  for  the  storm. 

We  had  not  long  to  wait  before  the  rain  came 
down  in  torrents.  In  an  incredibly  short  time 
the  water  was  flowing  swiftly  down  the  slope  to 
the  river.  It  gathered  against  our  tent,  and 
finding  the  frail  structure  must  go,  we  seized 
everything  portable,  dashed  into  the  furious 
downpour,  and  climbed  to  the  tops  of  surround 
ing  bowlders. 

Through  the  sheets  of  rain  we  could  dimly  see 
the  cavalry  horses  standing  knee-deep  in  water, 
men  looking  out  of  the  covered  wagons,  into 
which  they  had  crawled  for  shelter,  or  standing, 
like  ourselves,  on  the  bowlders,  their  bodies  cov 
ered  with  ponchos  and  gum  blankets.  Wall- 
tents,  the  sides  of  which  had  been  looped  up 
when  pitched,  stood  with  the  flood  flowing 
through  them;  cranes,  upon  which  hung  lines 
of  kettles  in  preparation  for  dinner,  standing 
alone,  their  fires  and  firewood  swept  away.  The 
whole  country  as  far  as  we  could  see  was  one 
broad  sheet  of  rushing  water,  and  the  river, 
which  was  little  more  than  a  rill  when  we  crossed 
it  a  few  hours  before,  now  rolled  and  boomed,  a 

98 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

torrent  several  fathoms  deep  and  dirtier  than 
ever. 

The  storm  continued  little  over  half  an  hour, 
and  with  the  return  of  sunlight  the  surface  water 
rapidly  disappeared.  Demoralized  tents  were 
then  set  up,  baggage  and  bedding  examined,  and 
the  wet  articles  exposed  to  the  sun;  and  before 
night,  except  for  the  booming  of  the  river,  little 
remained  to  remind  us  that  we  had  been  through 
a  storm. 

Just  before  retreat,  Frank,  Henry,  and  I  stood 
on  the  bank  of  the  river  watching  the  trunks  and 
branches  of  trees  rush  past,  and  the  occasional 
plunge  of  a  mass  of  earth  undermined  by  the 
current. 

"Well,"  said  Frank,  after  silently  contemplat 
ing  the  scene  a  few  moments,  "  what  you  told  us 
about  crossing  a  stream  before  camping  upon  it 
has  proved  true,  sir,  and  very  quickly,  too." 

"  Yes ;  I  think  even  the  paymaster  and  surgeon 
must  be  congratulating  themselves  they  are  on 
this  side  of  that  flood,"  I  replied. 

Next  morning  we  resumed  our  march  at  the 
usual  hour,  and  passed  over  23.28  miles  to  a  de 
serted  Mexican  town  and  Indian  pueblo. 

99 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

On  the  following  day  we  crossed  a  chain  of 
hills  into  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Gallo.  As  we  de 
bouched  from  a  deep  ravine  we  caught  sight  of 
the  pueblo  of  Laguna,  illuminated  by  the  sun, 
just  rising,  behind  us.  The  town  stands  upon 
a  rocky  eminence  overlooking  the  river,  which 
waters,  by  irrigation,  its  large  and  well-culti 
vated  valley. 

When  within  four  miles  of  it  I  proposed  to  the 
boys  that  we  should  hasten  forward  in  advance 
of  the  wagons  and  visit  the  town.  We  galloped 
on,  and  were  hospitably  received  by  the  Indian 
governor,  who  did  the  honors  of  the  community 
in  person.  He  showed  us  the  interior  of  the  ter 
raced  buildings,  and  conducted  us  through  the 
subterranean  estufa  where,  for  centuries  before 
the  invention  of  the  friction-match,  the  Indians 
kept  their  sacred  fire — fire  made  sacred  through 
the  difficulty  of  obtaining  it  or  rekindling  it 
when  once  extinguished — and  so  watched  day 
and  night  by  sleepless  sentinels. 

When  we  entered  the  town  we  left  our  horses 
hitched  to  the  willows  on  the  bank  of  the  irrigat 
ing  ditch,  near  the  wall  of  the  first  house,  and 
I  ordered  the  dog  Vic  to  remain  with  them. 

100 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Three-quarters  of  an  hour  afterwards  Vic  looked 
into  the  estufa  from  above,  gave  three  sharp 
barks,  and  dashed  away. 

We  were  so  deeply  interested  in  the  examina 
tion  of  a  lot  of  scalps,  quaint  pottery,  weapons 
of  warfare,  etc.,  that  we  paid  no  attention  to  her. 
Presently  she  appeared  a  second  time,  repeated 
her  barking,  and  ran  off  again.  A  few  moments 
later  the  dog  again  showed  herself  at  the  sky 
light,  and  thrusting  her  head  downward  con 
tinued  to  bark  until  I  approached  the  foot  of  the 
ladder.  As  I  did  so  she  uttered  a  sound  of  anx 
iety,  or  distress,  and  disappeared. 

"  Something  must  be  the  matter  with  our  ani 
mals,  boys,"  I  remarked.  "Frank,  go  and  see 
what  has  happened,  while  Henry  and  I  take  leave 
of  our  host." 

Corporal  Frank  climbed  the  ladder  two  rungs 
at  a  step,  while  Henry  and  I  remained  to  thank 
the  governor  for  his  kindness  and  bestow  some 
trifling  gifts  upon  the  rabble  of  children  that  had 
followed  us  closely  throughout  our  visit.  We 
then  ascended  the  ladder  and  started  for  the 
place  where  we  had  left  our  animals. 

Hurrying  down  the  narrow  alley  we  met  Frank, 
101 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

who  was  nearly  breathless  with  exertion  and  ex 
citement.  While  yet  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  us  he  shouted : 

"Chiquita's  gone!    Can't  see  her  anywhere!" 

Hastening  to  the  willows  I  found  that  Hen 
ry's  pony  was  indeed  missing.  I  thought  she 
had  simply  broken  loose,  and  would  be  found 
somewhere  in  the  neighborhood,  so  mounted  and 
made  a  hasty  search.  I  saw  our  train  several 
miles  away,  toiling  up  a  long  ascent,  but  there 
was  no  sign  of  a  riderless  pony  on  the  road.  On 
my  return  to  the  willows  Henry  said: 

"Chiquita  did  not  break  away,  sir;  her  halter- 
strap  was  too  strong,  and  I  tied  it  with  a  cav 
alry  hitch.  She  must  have  been  unfastened  by 
some  one.  Perhaps  these  Pueblos  have  stolen 
her." 

"  She  may  have  been  stolen,  as  you  suggest,"  I 
replied,  "but  not  by  the  Pueblos.  We  were 
their  guests,  and  our  property  was  sacred." 

The  Indians,  seeing  our  trouble,  gathered 
about  us,  and  among  them  I  saw  the  governor. 
Making  my  way  to  him,  I  explained  what  had 
happened.  He  turned  to  his  people  and  ad 
dressed  them  in  his  own  tongue.  A  young  girl 

102 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

approached  and  said  something,  at  the  same 
time  pointing  to  the  southwest. 

Looking  in  the  direction  indicated,  over  a 
long  stretch  of  broken  country,  bordered  on  the 
west  by  an  irregular  range  of  sandstone  mesas,  I 
thought  I  saw  a  moving  object  near  the  foot  of  a 
rugged  bluff,  several  miles  distant;  but  before  I 
could  adjust  my  field-glass  the  object  had  turned 
the  bluff  and  disappeared.  One  thing,  however, 
I  did  see — it  was  Vic,  sitting  on  a  knoll  less  than 
a  mile  from  the  pueblo. 

"I  wonder  we  have  not  thought  of  Vic's  ab 
sence  all  this  time,"  I  said;  "there  she  is,  on 
the  trail  of  the  thief,  wondering  why  wre  do  not 
pursue." 

"The  good  doggie,"  said  Henry.  "She  did 
her  best  to  tell  us  Chiquita  was  stolen,  and  she 
means  to  do  her  best  to  retake  her." 

Turning  to  the  governor,  I  asked,  "Are  there 
any  Navajos  about  here?" 

"There  is  a  large  band  in  the  cieiiaga,  three 
leagues  from  here.  The  lost  pony  will  be  found 
there." 

I  directed  Henry  to  run  after  the  train  and  re 
port  what  had  happened.  "Wave  your  hand- 

103 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

kerchief,"  said  I,  "and  some  one  will  come  to 
meet  you.  If  it  should  be  a  mounted  man,  take 
his  animal,  overtake  Captain  Bayard,  tell  him  all 
you  know,  and  say  that  Frank  and  I  have  gone 
in  pursuit,  and  that  I  request  him  to  send  a  de 
tachment  of  cavalry  to  look  us  up." 

Henry  started  off  with  a  celerity  begotten  of 
his  anxiety  at  the  loss  of  his  pony  and  the  fear 
that  his  brother  might  fall  into  danger  unless  a 
body  of  troopers  followed  him  closely. 

Frank  and  I  then  galloped  towards  Vic.  As 
soon  as  the  dog  saw  us  approaching  she  sprang 
into  the  air,  shook  herself  in  an  ecstasy  of  de 
light,  then  put  her  nose  to  the  earth,  and  went 
steadily  on  in  advance,  threading  her  way 
through  clumps  of  sage-brush  and  grease-wood 
and  along  the  ravines. 

The  tracks  of  a  shod  pony  satisfied  us  that  we 
were  on  the  trail  of  Chiquita  and  her  Navajo 
rider.  The  boy  had  kept  well  down  in  the  ra 
vines  and  depressions,  in  order  to  screen  himself 
from  observation  and  possible  pursuers.  We, 
however,  were  not  obliged  to  follow  his  tracks; 
Vic  did  that,  and  we  took  the  general  direction 
from  her,  cutting  across  turnings  and  windings, 

104 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  making  much  better  progress  than  the  thief 
could  have  done. 

An  hour's  ride  brought  us  to  the  bluff  behind 
which  I  had  seen  an  object  disappear.  Vic 
turned  it  and  began  to  ascend  the  almost  dry 
bed  of  the  stream,  in  the  bottom  of  which  ^1 
could  see  occasional  depressions  at  regular  dis 
tances,  as  if  made  by  a  horse  at  a  trot.  Soon 
the  brook  enlarged,  becoming  a  flowing  stream, 
and  the  tracks  were  no  longer  visible. 

That  the  brook  flowed  from  the  cienaga,  or 
marsh,  where  the  Navajos  were  rendezvoused, 
was  an  easy  inference.  The  Indian  boy  was  en 
deavoring  to  reach  that  place  with  the  stolen 
pony.  Directing  Frank  to  keep  up  the  left  side 
of  the  stream,  and  to  look  for  tracks  indicating 
that  Chiquita  had  left  its  bed,  I  took  the  right 
side  and  hastened  on. 

Willows  now  began  to  appear  along  the  banks, 
showing  that  we  had  reached  a  permanent  flow 
of  water.  Twice  we  came  to  masses  of  bowlders 
which  made  it  impossible  for  a  horse  to  travel  in 
the  stream,  and  we  found  that  the  pony  had 
skirted  them. 

We  had  now  reached  a  point  where  a  small 
105 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

brook  entered  the  larger  one  from  the  right.  We 
dismounted  at  the  confluence  to  make  an  obser 
vation.  Vic  suddenly  began  to  bark  furiously; 
then  a  yelp  and  a  continued  cry  of  pain  showed 
that  the  dog  was  hurt,  and  presently  she  ap 
peared  with  an  arrow  through  the  thick  of  her 
neck. 

Advancing  cautiously  I  caught  sight  of  Chi- 
quita  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock  at  my  left,  and  an 
Indian  boy  standing  behind  her  and  aiming  an 
arrow  over  the  saddle.  A  sharp  twang,  and  the 
missile  flew  through  my  hair  between  my  right 
ear  and  my  hat-rim.  The  boy  then  sprang  for 
ward,  and  raised  a  knife  as  if  to  hamstring  the 
pony.  But  it  was  not  to  be,  for  a  carbine  spoke, 
and  the  raised  arm  of  the  Indian  fell  at  his  side. 

"Well  done,  Frank!"  I  called. 

We  ran  forward  to  capture  the  young  Navajo, 
but  he  quickly  disappeared  behind  a  large  rock 
and  was  seen  no  more.  Returning  to  the  main 
brook  with  Chiquita,  we  tied  the  horses  to  the 
willows  and  began  a  search  for  Vic.  I  called  her 
by  all  the  pet  names  to  which  she  was  accus 
tomed,  but  received  no  response.  I  searched 
over  as  great  a  distance  as  I  dared,  with  a  con- 

106 


CAPTURED    BY   THE    NAVAJOS 

sciousness  that  a  band  of  Navajos  was  not  far 
distant. 

Reluctantly  abandoning  our  search,  we  were 
preparing  to  return  to  the  train  and  escort  when 
we  descried  a  large  war-party  of  Indians  riding 
towards  us  from  the  direction  of  the  cienaga. 
It  was  at  once  evident  they  saw  us,  for,  raising 
a  terrific  war-whoop,  their  irregular  mass  broke 
for  us  in  a  furious  charge. 

Death  certainly  awaited  us  if  captured,  and 
this  thought  prompted  us  to  leave  our  exposed 
position  instantly.  Leading  Chiquita,  and  tell 
ing  Frank  to  follow,  I  dashed  down  the  stream 
in  the  direction  of  the  Fort  Wingate  road. 

As  we  flew  along,  feeling  positive  that  the  Ind 
ians  would  overtake  us,  I  eagerly  surveyed  the 
rocky  wall  on  our  left,  hoping  to  find  a  break  in 
which  we  could  shelter  ourselves  and  hold  the 
enemy  in  check  until  our  friends  arrived.  But 
no  opening  appeared,  and  it  seemed  impossible 
for  us  to  reach  Laguna  alive. 

On  we  went  into  the  dense  bushes,  a  hail  of 
bullets  and  a  rush  of  arrows  about  our  ears.  But 
at  this  moment  the  clear  notes  of  a  cavalry  trum 
pet  sounded  "deploy,"  and  the  California  cav- 

107 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

airy  crashed  through  the  willows  and  we  were 
saved.  They  broke  into  a  skirmish-line  behind 
us,  but  only  a  few  shots  were  fired  and  the  Nava- 
jos  were  gone. 

Being  an  escort,  we  could  not  delay  for  further 
operations  against  the  enemy.  Our  duty  was 
to  return  at  once  to  the  train.  Frank  and  I  were 
both  uninjured,  but  a  bullet  had  raised  the 
chevron  on  the  boy's  sleeve,  and  another  had 
shattered  the  ivory  hilt  of  his  revolver. 

The  volunteers  dismounted  for  a  rest,  and  I 
took  the  opportunity  to  make  a  further  search 
for  Vic,  my  faithful  companion  and  friend. 
Leaving  my  horse  with  Frank,  I  started  tow 
ards  the  place  where  I  had  last  seen  her. 

As  I  descended  a  shallow  ravine  to  the  willow- 
clad  brook  I  came  upon  an  unexpected  sight, 
and  paused  to  witness  it.  On  his  knees,  close  to 
the  water,  his  back  towards  me,  was  Corporal 
Henry.  Extended  at  his  left  side  was  Vic,  held 
closely  under  his  left  arm,  her  plumy  tail  hang 
ing  dejectedly  in  my  direction.  An  occasional 
dispirited  wag  showed  that  she  appreciated  the 
kindness  being  shown  her.  The  boy  was  evi 
dently  busy  at  something  that  elicited  from  the 

108 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

animal,  every  now  and  then,  faint  cries  of  pain. 
I  heard  something  snap,  and  saw  him  lay  two 
parts  of  an  arrow  on  the  ground  to  his  right; 
then  he  drew  a  handkerchief  from  his  pocket, 
dipped  it  in  the  brook,  and  apparently  washed 
a  wound. 

All  the  time  the  boy  could  be  heard  addressing 
his  patient  in  soothing  tones,  occasionally  lean 
ing  his  face  against  her  head  caressingly.  "  Poor 
little  Vicky !  Nice,  brave  doggie !  There,  there ; 
I  will  not  hurt  you  more  than  I  can  help.  They 
can't  shoot  you  again,  girlie,  for  lots  of  your 
friends  are  here  now.  You  shall  ride  back  to 
the  train  on  Chiquita  with  me.  We'll  own  Chi- 
quita  together  after  this." 

I  felt  a  little  delicacy  about  breaking  in  upon 
this  scene  and  letting  the  boy  know  I  had  over 
heard  all  his  fond  talk  to  Vic,  so  withdrew  into  a 
clump  of  bushes  and  began  calling  the  dog. 

Henry  promptly  answered:  "Here  she  is,  sir. 
This  way.  She  wants  to  come,  but  I  think  she 
had  better  not." 

"Is  she  much  hurt?"  I  asked,  approaching 
them. 

"Not  dangerously,  sir.  This  arrow  passed 
109 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

through  the  top  of  her  neck.  I  notched  it  and 
broke  it,  so  as  not  to  be  obliged  to  draw  the  barb 
or  plume  through  the  wound.  She  is  weak  from 
her  long  run  and  loss  of  blood.  The  wound 
might  be  bound  up  if  her  collar  was  off." 

"  I  will  remove  it  and  not  put  it  on  again  until 
the  sore  heals,"  I  answered,  and,  taking  a  key 
from  my  pocket,  I  took  off  the  collar  and  assisted 
in  dressing  the  wound. 

After  petting  Vic  for  a  while,  and  using  quite 
as  much  "baby  talk"  in  doing  so  as  Henry  had 
in  dressing  the  wound,  I  asked  the  boy  how  he 
came  to  return  with  the  cavalry. 

"  I  ran  ahead,  as  you  told  me  to,  sir,  and  the 
wagon-master  came  to  meet  me.  He  lent  me 
his  mule,  and  I  rode  on  to  Captain  Bayard  and 
made  my  report.  The  captain  sent  Lieutenant 
Baldwin  and  his  men,  and  lent  me  a  spare  horse 
to  come  along  as  guide." 

"Have  you  seen  Chiquita?" 

"  At  a  distance.     Is  she  all  right?" 

"Yes,  but  very  tired.  Let  us  join  the  troop, 
for  it  is  time  we  were  on  our  way  to  the 
train." 

Our  return  ride  was  at  a  walk.  Henry  turned 
no 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

his  cavalry  horse  over  to  a  trooper  to  be  led,  and 
mounted  Chiquita  with  Vic  in  his  arms.  Ar 
rived  in  camp  he  took  the  dog  to  the  surgeon  for 
treatment,  and  in  a  few  days  she  was  as  lively  as 
ever. 


VIII 

OVER    THE    DIVIDE — A    CORPORAL    MISSING 

FORT  WINGATE  was  reached  in  two  more 
marches — six  in  all  from  the  Rio  Grande — and  we 
went  into  camp  for  two  days  for  rest  and  some 
needed  repairs  to  wagons  before  undertaking  the 
second  and  longer  section  of  our  military  journey 
— a  section  upon  which  at  that  time  no  white 
man  had  set  up  a  home. 

Recalling  my  promise  to  the  priest  who  had 
interviewed  me  in  behalf  of  Seflora  Perea,  I 
made  inquiries  of  the  Fort  Wingate  officers  con 
cerning  her  son.  None  of  them  had  heard  more 
than  she  already  knew,  but  a  scout  claimed  he 
had  recently  seen  a  Mexican  boy  herding  ponies 
for  the  Navajo  chief  Elarnagan,  thirty  miles 
north  of  Zuni. 

The  evening  before  resuming  our  march  Cap 
tain  Bayard  informed  me  that  there  was  an  em 
igrant  family  camped  half  a  mile  to  the  west  of 

112 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Fort  Wingate,  which  had  been  awaiting  our 
arrival  in  order  to  travel  to  Arizona  under  our 
protection.  He  told  me  to  assign  the  family  a 
place  in  the  train. 

I  went  to  their  camp,  and  found  it  located  in  a 
grove  of  cotton-woods  a  short  distance  out,  on  the 
Arizona  trail.  Mr.  Arnold,  the  head  of  the  family, 
never  ceased  his  occupation  while  I  was  talking 
to  him.  He  was  constructing  a  camp-table  and 
benches  of  some  packing-boxes  he  had  procured 
from  the  post  trader.  He  was  a  tall,  well-pro 
portioned  man,  of  dark  complexion  and  regular 
features,  with  black,  unkempt  hair  and  restless 
brown  eyes.  He  was  clothed  in  a  faded  and  stain 
ed  butternut  suit  of  flannel,  consisting  of  a  loose 
frock  and  baggy  trousers,  the  legs  of  the  trousers 
being  tucked  into  the  tops  of  road-worn  boots. 
His  hat  was  a  battered  and  frayed  broad-brim 
med  felt.  Mrs.  Arnold  sat  on  a  stool  superin 
tending  the  work,  bowed  forward,  her  elbows  on 
her  knees,  holding  a  long-stemmed  cob-pipe  to 
her  lips  with  her  left  hand,  removing  it  at  the 
end  of  each  inspiration  to  emit  the  smoke,  which 
curled  slowly  above  her  thin  upper  lip  and  thin, 
aquiline  nose.  She  was  a  tall,  angular,  high- 
8  113 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

shouldered,  and  flat-chested  woman,  dark  from 
exposure  to  wind,  sun,  and  rain,  her  hair  brown 
in  the  neck,  but  many  shades  lighter  on  the 
crown  of  her  head.  Her  eyes  were  of  an  ex 
pressionless  gray.  A  brown  calico  of  scant  pat 
tern  clung  in  lank  folds  to  her  thin  and  bony 
figure. 

The  three  daughters  were  younger  and  less 
faded  types  of  their  mother.  Each  was  clad  in 
a  narrow-skirted  calico  dress,  and  each  was 
stockingless  and  shoeless.  Mother  and  daughters 
were  dull,  slow  of  speech,  and  ignorant. 

After  staying  long  enough  to  give  the  necessary 
instructions  and  exchange  civilities  with  each 
member  of  the  family  in  sight,  I  was  riding 
slowly  back  to  the  roadway,  intending  to  take  a 
brisk  canter  to  the  fort,  when  Corporal  Henry's 
voice  called  from  a  clump  of  cedars  at  the  back 
of  the  Arnold  family's  wagons. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Duncan,  may  I  speak  to  you  a  mo 
ment?" 

Turning  my  horse  in  the  direction  of  the  voice, 
I  saw  my  young  friend  approaching,  switching  a 
handsome  riding-whip  in  his  hand. 

"  You  haven't  seen  all  the  family,  sir,"  he  said. 
114 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"I  have  seen  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arnold  and  those 
the  mother  said  were  all  their  children — the 
three  barefooted  girls." 

"  But  there  is  one  more  girl,  sir,  a  very  pretty 
one,  too — a  niece.  She's  back  of  the  wagons 
making  friends  with  Vic  and  Chiquita.  You 
must  not  go  without  seeing  her." 

I  went  back  with  Henry  and  saw  a  girl  of  about 
fourteen  standing  by  Chiquita,  holding  her  by 
the  bridle-rein  and  smoothing  her  neck,  while 
Vic  nestled  at  her  feet.  She  seemed  very  attrac 
tive  at  my  first  casual  glance,  impressing  me 
favorably.  A  blonde,  possessed  of  abundant 
flaxen  tresses  held  in  a  band  of  blue  ribbon,  hav 
ing  a  complexion  which  her  recent  journey  had 
tanned  and  sprinkled  with  abundant  freckles, 
but  giving  promise  of  rare  beauty  with  added 
years  and  less  exposure  to  sun  and  wind.  Her 
clothing  was  fashionably  made  and  well  fitted, 
and  her  delicate  feet  were  encased  in  neat  boots 
and  stockings. 

"  Miss  Arnold,"  said  Henry,  "  permit  me  to  in 
troduce  our  quartermaster,'Lieutenant  Duncan — 
and  Mr.  Duncan,"  continued  the  boy,  "it  gives  me 
pleasure  to  present  to  you  Miss  Brenda  Arnold." 

"5 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  quality,  modulation,  and  refinement  of 
the  voice  in  which  the  girl  assured  me  of  her 
pleasure  in  meeting  me,  confirmed  my  first  im 
pression. 

"  But  how  did  you  make  the  acquaintance  of 
Corporal  Henry  Burton,  Miss  Arnold?"  I  asked. 

"  I  was  riding  back  from  the  fort,  sir,  where  I 
had  been  to  mail  some  letters,  and  my  pony, 
Gypsy,  lost  a  shoe  and  came  near  falling.  The 
stumble  caused  me  to  drop  a  package,  and  Mr. 
Burton  chanced  to  come  up  and  restore  it  to  me, 
and  he  also  picked  up  Gypsy's  shoe.  He  accom 
panied  me  to  camp,  and  since  we  arrived  has 
been  giving  me  the  history  of  Vic,  Sancho,  and 
Chiquita." 

"And  that,  of  course,  included  something  of 
the  history  of  their  devoted  attendants?" 

"Yes,  I  have  learned  something  of  the  gallant 
deeds  of  Corporals  Frank  and  Henry  Burton  and 
Lieutenant  Duncan  at  Los  Valles  Grandes  and 
on  the  march  here.  When  I  meet  Corporal 
Frank  I  shall  know  you  all." 

"He    will    present    himself    to-morrow,    no 
doubt,"  I  observed.     "But  about  that  pony's 
shoe;  do  you  want  it  reset?" 
116 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Yes,  but  who  can  do  it?" 

"At  our  next  camp,  to-morrow,  our  soldier- 
blacksmith  shall  set  it." 

"  But  I  do  not  belong  to  government,  sir." 

"But  part  of  this  government  belongs  to 
you,"  replied  Henry.  "I'll  lead  Gypsy  to  the 
forge  for  you,  and  Private  Sattler  shall  shoe  her 
as  he  does  Chiquita,  and  polish  the  shoes,  too." 

The  Arnold  family  history,  gathered  incident 
ally  on  the  march,  and  at  a  period  later  in  my 
story,  was  briefly  this:  Brenda  was  the  only 
daughter  of  Mr.  Arnold's  only  brother,  and  had 
been  reared  in  a  large  inland  city  of  New  York. 
Her  father  and  mother  had  recently  perished  in  a 
yachting  accident,  and  the  young  girl  had  been 
sent  to  her  paternal  uncle  in  Colorado.  There 
were  relatives  on  the  mother's  side,  but  they 
were  scattered,  two  brothers  being  in  Europe  at 
the  time  of  the  accident.  Brenda  had  reached 
her  Western  uncle  just  as  he  was  starting  on  one 
of  his  periodical  moves — this  time  to  Arizona. 

The  different  social  status  of  the  families  of 
the  two  brothers  was  unusual,  but  not  impossi 
ble  in  our  country.  One  of  the  brothers  was  am 
bitious,  of  steady  habits,  and  possessed  of  a  re- 

117 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ceptive  mind;  the  other  was  idle,  impatient  of 
restraint,  with  a  disinclination  to  protracted 
effort  of  any  kind. 

The  distance  to  the  first  camp  beyond  Fort 
Wingate  where  we  were  sure  to  find  water  was 
twenty-two  miles ;  and  it  being  impossible  for  us 
to  leave  the  post  before  three  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  we  determined  to  make  a  dry  camp  five 
and  a  half  miles  out. 

When  Frank  and  Henry  learned  that  the  start 
was  not  to  be  an  early  one  they  rode  out  to  the 
Arnold  camp  with  the  information,  and  the 
former  was  duly  presented  to  Miss  Brenda. 
Gypsy  was  brought  into  the  fort  and  shod,  and 
returned  to  her  mistress  in  season  for  the  march. 

The  evening  was  well  advanced  when  we 
pitched  our  tents  at  the  dry  camp.  Horses  and 
mules  were  turned  out  to  graze  for  the  first 
time  without  water,  and  although  in  this  moun 
tain  region  the  grass  was  abundant,  they  did 
not  cease  to  whinny  and  bray  their  discontent 
throughout  the  night. 

The  sun  dropped  behind  the  mountain  spurs, 
and  we  drew  nearer  and  nearer  the  fires,  adding 
a  thicker  garment  as  the  twilight  deepened  into 

118 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

night.  Frank  expressed  the  trend  of  thought 
by  asking,  "We  now  march  into  the  heart  of 
the  Navajo  country,  do  we  not,  sir?" 

"Not  precisely  through  the  heart,  but  along 
its  southern  border." 

"They'll  try  to  make  it  lively  for  us,  I  sup 
pose?" 

"They  will  certainly  watch  us  closely,  and 
will  take  advantage  of  any  carelessness  on  our 
part." 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  chance  of  our 
finding  Manuel  Perea?" 

"  Hardly ;  he  is  too  far  off  our  route.  We  can 
not  leave  the  train  to  look  him  up." 

There  was  a  suspicious  choke  in  the  voice 
of  the  little  corporal  when  he  said :  "  It  is  awful 
to  think  we  are  going  so  near  the  dear  old  boy 
and  can  do  nothing  for  him.  Only  think  of  his 
poor  mother!" 

"I  was  told  at  the  fort  that  she  has  offered 
five  thousand  dollars  to  the  man  who  will  bring 
Manuel  to  her,"  said  Frank.  "I  wish  I  could 
bring  him  in  for  nothing." 

"Brenda  says  she  believes  we  shall  find  him 
somehow,"  Henry  said.  "I  hope  she  is  right, 

119 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

for  I  saw  his  mother  at  Algodones  and  prom 
ised  her  to  rescue  him  or  become  a  prisoner  with 
him." 

"So  she  wrote  me  at  Los  Pinos,"  I  replied. 
"Well,  something  may  turn  up  to  enable  us  to 
serve  his  mother.  Let  us  go  to  bed." 

Next  morning  we  were  again  on  the  road  by 
starlight.  A  march  of  sixteen  miles  brought  us 
to  Agua  Fria — cold  water.  Less  than  a  hundred 
yards  west  of  the  spring  was  a  ridge  which  did 
not  rise  fifty  feet  above  it,  and  that  was  the 
"backbone"  of  the  continent.  The  water  of 
Agua  Fria  flowed  into  the  Atlantic;  the  springs 
on  the  other  side  of  the  ridge  flowed  into  the 
Pacific. 

The  wagons  of  the  Arnold  family  travelled 
between  the  rear  -  guard  and  the  government 
wagons.  They  consisted  of  two  large  "prairie 
schooners,"  drawn  by  three  pairs  of  oxen  each, 
a  lighter  wagon,  drawn  by  four  horses,  beside 
which  four  cows,  two  ponies,  and  four  dogs  were 
usually  grouped.  The  father  and  eldest  daugh 
ter  drove  the  ox-teams,  the  mother  the  horse- 
team,  and  two  daughters  rode  the  ponies. 
Brenda's  pony,  Gypsy,  was  her  own  property, 

120 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

purchased  soon  after  she  joined  her  uncle  in 
Colorado.  As  my  station  and  Frank's  were  with 
the  rear-guard,  or  along  the  flanks  of  the  train, 
Miss  Brenda  commonly  rode  with  us  after  day 
light.  Henry,  after  leaving  Fort  Wingate,  rode 
with  the  advance. 

After  supper  at  Agua  Fria,  Corporal  Frank 
ordered  all  water-kegs  to  be  filled,  for  the  water 
at  El  Morro,  or  Inscription  Rock,  our  next 
camping  -  place,  was  poor.  The  distance  'Was 
seventeen  and  a  half  miles.  The  next  march 
was  to  the  junction  of  the  Rio  Pescado  and 
Otter  Creek,  twenty-two  miles,  and  the  follow 
ing  to  Arch  Spring,  nineteen  miles.  This  way 
took  us  through  the  ancient  town  of  Zuni,  an 
Indian  community  described  by  the  Spanish 
priest,  Father  Marco  de  Niga,  in  1559. 

After  leaving  Zuni,  a  march  of  thirty-two  miles 
brought  us  late  in  the  evening  to  a  spring  various 
ly  called  by  Mexicans,  Indians,  and  Americans, 
Ojo  Rodondo,  Wah-nuk-ai-tin-ai-z,  and  Jacob's 
Well.  It  is  a  funnel-shaped  hole  in  a  level  plain, 
six  hundred  feet  in  diameter  at  the  top,  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  hole  is  a  pool  of  brackish, 

T.2I 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

green  water,  reached  by  a  spiral  track  around  the 
wall.  Our  cooks  first  procured  a  supply  of  water, 
and  then  the  animals  were  driven  down  in  de 
tachments.  They  waded,  swam,  and  rolled  in 
the  water  until  it  was  defiled  for  human  use. 

An  hour  after  our  arrival  four  Navajos  ap 
peared  and  were  admitted  to  an  interview  with 
Captain  Bayard,  of  whom  they  asked  informa 
tion  concerning  the  terms  offered  their  bands  as 
an  inducement  to  surrender  and  go  upon  the 
reservation.  In  reply  to  our  questions  they 
told  us  we  would  find  plenty  of  water  at  Navajo 
Springs,  seven  miles  from  Jacob's  Well,  and  that 
there  had  been  a  heavy  rainfall  at  the  west. 
As  the  Indians  were  preparing  to  leave,  Corporal 
Henry  came  forward  and  asked  Captain  Bayard 
to  inquire  for  Manuel  Perea.  The  captain  thank 
ed  the  boy  for  the  suggestion,  and  did  so ;  and  we 
learned  that  a  Mexican  boy,  answering  the  de 
scription  given,  was  assisting  in  herding  the 
ponies  of  Elarnagan,  north  of  the  Twin  Buttes, 
at  the  head  of  Carizo  Creek. 

"Carizo  Creek,"  said  Frank,  reflectively,  turn 
ing  over  his  schedule  of  distances,  "that  is  19.05 
miles  from  here." 

122 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Yes,  and  there  are  the  Twin  Buttes,"  said 
Henry,  pointing  to  two  prominent  peaks  to  the 
northwest.  "Can't  we  go  there,  sir?  It  can 
not  be  more  than  thirty  miles." 

"  I  would  not  be  justified  in  leaving  the  road 
except  upon  an  extraordinary  emergency,"  re 
plied  Captain  Bayard. 

"  Don't  you  suppose,  sir,  that  Elarnagan  would 
give  Manuel  up  for  the  large  reward  his  mother 
offers?"  asked  Brenda  Arnold,  who  stood  by  the 
side  of  the  boy  corporals,  an  interested  listener 
to  all  that  had  been  said. 

The  captain  asked  her  question  of  the  Ind 
ians,  and  one  of  them  replied  that  the  chief  had 
refused  large  offers  heretofore,  and  would  doubt 
less  continue  to  do  so. 

"Cannot  you  scare  him  by  a  threat?"  asked 
Henry. 

"I  will  try  it,  corporal,"  answered  the  cap 
tain.  Then,  turning  to  the  Navajos,  he  con 
tinued:  "Tell  the  chief,  Elarnagan,  that  it  is 
not  the  part  of  a  brave  warrior  to  cause  grief  and 
sorrow  to  women  and  children;  tell  him  that 
the  great  chief  at  Santa  Fe  is  fast  bringing  this 
war  to  a  close,  and  that  two-thirds  of  hi&people 

123 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

are  already  on  the  reservation  at  Bosque  Rodon- 
do ;  tell  him  that  when  he  surrenders  —  which 
will  not  be  long  from  now — if  the  boy  Manuel  is 
not  brought  in  safe  he  will  be  severely  pun 
ished." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Henry. 

The  Indians  left  in  a  northerly  direction. 

At  guard  -  mounting  Captain  Bayard  an 
nounced  that,  owing  to  the  recent  fatiguing 
marches  and  the  lack  of  good  water,  we  would 
go  no  farther  than  Navajo  Springs  the  following 
day,  and  that  we  would  not  break  camp  before 
eight  o'clock. 

This  announcement  was  received  with  pleas 
ure  ;  for  since  leaving  Agua  Fria  little  water  had 
been  drunk,  it  being  either  muddy,  stagnant,  or 
alkaline.  The  water  at  Navajo  Springs  was  said 
to  be  pure. 

Ten  o'clock  next  morning  found  us  at  the 
springs.  They  were  fifteen  in  number,  clustered 
in  an  area  of  less  than  an  acre.  Each  was  of  the 
dimensions  of  a  barrel  set  upon  end  in  the  ground, 
with  a  mere  thread  of  water  flowing  from  it — a 
thread  which  the  fierce  sun  evaporated  before  it 
had  flowed  a  rod  from  its  source.  It  soon  be- 

124 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

came  plain  to  every  one  that  we  could  not  long 
remain  there. 

The  Indians  had  said  there  had  been  a  heavy 
rainfall  at  the  west.  Five  and  one  -  twentieth 
miles  over  a  rough,  red,  and  verdureless  country 
brought  us  to  the  Rio  Puerco  of  the  West.  There 
was  not  a  drop  of  water  in  it. 

The  commanding  officer  ordered  me  to  take 
ten  cavalrymen,  with  shovels,  and  go  on  to  Ca- 
rizo  Creek,  and,  if  I  found  no  running  water,  to 
sink  holes  in  a  line  across  its  bed.  The  boy  cor 
porals  were  allowed  to  go  with  me. 

The  distance  to  Carizo  was  seven  miles,  over  a 
high,  intervening  ridge,  and  the  creek,  when  we 
reached  it,  was  in  no  respect  different  from  the 
one  we  had  just  left.  We  opened  a  line  of  holes 
six  feet  deep,  but  found  very  little  water. 

Sending  Corporal  Henry  back  with  a  message 
to  Captain  Bayard,  we  pushed  on  to  Lithoden- 
dron  Creek,  a  distance  of  thirteen  miles,  and 
found  about  an  acre  of  water,  four  inches  deep, 
in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  under  the  shadow  of  a 
sandstone  cliff.  It  was  miserable  stuff — thick, 
murky,  and  warm — but  it  was  better  than  noth 
ing;  I  sent  a  soldier  back  to  the  command, 

125 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  sat  down  with  Frank  under  the  cliff  to 
wait. 

The  march  had  lengthened  into  thirty -two 
miles,  over  an  exceedingly  rough  country,  and 
it  had  been  continuous,  with  no  noonday  rest, 
and  under  a  broiling  sun. 

Frank  and  I  sat  a  little  apart  from  the  soldiers, 
watching  for  the  arrival  of  the  approaching 
wagons. 

Time  dragged  slowly  on  until  after  nine  o'clock, 
when  a  faint  "  hee-haw"  in  the  far  distance  gave 
us  the  first  hint  that  the  train  was  over  the  di 
vide  and  that  the  unfailing  scent  of  the  mules 
had  recognized  the  vicinity  of  water. 

An  hour  more  passed  before  Sergeant  Cun 
ningham  and  half  a  dozen  privates  of  the  in 
fantry  company  marched  down  to  the  roily  pool 
and  stooped  for  a  drink.  The  rest  of  the  men 
were  straggling  the  length  of  the  train,  which 
arrived  in  sections,  heralded  by  the  vigorous 
and  continued  braying  of  the  mules. 

No  one  felt  inclined  to  pitch  a  tent,  partly  on 
account  of  extreme  fatigue,  but  chiefly  because 
the  ground  was  rough  and  stony  and  cacti  in 
endless  variety  strewed  the  surface,  branching 

126 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  clustering  about  the  petrified  trunks  of  giant 
trees  which  gave  the  creek  its  name. 

There  was  no  grass  in  the  vicinity,  and  no 
grain  on  the  train.  The  animals  when  turned 
loose  went  to  the  pool  and  drank,  and  then  wan 
dered  about  the  wagons  calling  for  forage. 
Lowing  of  cattle,  bleating  of  sheep,  braying  of 
mules,  and  whinnying  of  horses  never  ceased  as 
the  suffering  animals  wandered  in  search  of 
food.  There  was  no  fuel  for  fires  in  the 
midst  of  this  petrified  forest  of  prostrate  trees, 
so  hard  bread  and  raw  bacon  made  our  sup 
per. 

After  a  time  I  began  to  wonder  why  Vic  had 
not  come  to  greet  me.  She  had  accompanied 
Henry  when  he  went  back  with  my  message,  and 
I  knew  that  if  he  had  returned  she  would  have 
looked  me  up  immediately.  I  was  about  to 
search  for  her,  when  Frank  appeared,  and  asked, 
"  Have  you  seen  my  brother?" 

"No,"  I  replied,  "nor  have  I  seen  Vic.  They 
must  be  with  the  rear  guard." 

"  No,  sir;  they  are  not  there.  I  have  just  seen 
the  sergeant  of  the  guard." 

"Have  you  visited  the  Arnolds?" 
127 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  Miss  Brenda  says  they  have  not 
seen  him  since  he  came  back  from  you." 

"Is  not  Corporal  Henry  here?"  asked  Captain 
Bayard,  who  had  approached  and  overheard  a 
part  of  our  conversation. 

"No,  sir,"  I  answered.  "I  sent  him  to  you 
at  Carizo  to  say  we  had  found  no  water." 

"He  reported  to  me,"  the  captain  replied, 
"and  I  sent  him  back  at  once  with  orders  for 
you  to  proceed  to  Lithodendron,  as  you  have 
done." 

"He  did  not  reach  me.  I  came  here  because 
it  seemed  the  only  thing  to  do." 

"Henry  not  here!"  and  the  captain  and  all 
of  us  began  moving  towards  the  train.  "  Cause 
an  immediate  search  to  be  made  for  him.  Ex 
amine  every  wagon.  He  may  have  got  into  a 
wagon  and  fallen  asleep." 

It  is  needless  to  say,  perhaps,  that  this  search 
was  participated  in  by  nearly  every  individual 
in  the  command  not  too  tired  to  stir.  Henry 
was  known  to  all,  and  had  in  many  gentlemanly 
and  kindly  ways  acquired  the  respect  and  af 
fection  of  soldiers  and  civilian  employes. 

Every  wagon  was  examined,  although  from 
128 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  first  there  was  a  general  presentiment  that  it 
would  be  useless.  In  the  wagon  assigned  to  the 
use  of  the  boy  corporals  and  myself,  Henry's 
carbine  and  revolver  were  found,  but  Frank 
said  his  brother  had  not  worn  them  during  the 
day. 

The  mule  and  cavalry  herds  were  examined 
for  the  cream-colored  pony,  but  that  also  was 
missing.  Then  the  thought  suggested  itself  that 
the  lad  might  be  wandering  on  the  road  we  had 
just  traversed;  but  an  examination  of  the  ser 
geant  of  the  guard  showed  that  to  be  impossible. 

But  one  conclusion  could  be  arrived  at,  and 
that  was  that  Henry  had  been  picked  up  by  the 
Navajos  when  returning  from  the  command  to 
my  detachment  on  the  Carizo. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  search  the  officers 
gathered  near  their  wagons  for  a  consultation. 
Frank  remained  apart,  silent  and  miserable. 

Captain  Bayard  said:  "It  is  impossible  for 
us  to  make  an  immediate  pursuit  with  horses  in 
such  a  condition  as  ours.  To  attempt  a  pursuit 
over  the  barren  region  about  us  would  be  to 
invite  failure  and  disaster.  If  we  had  Mexican 
ponies,  or  Indian  ponies  like  those  of  the  boys, 
»  129 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

we  might  start  at  once.  The  boy  is  probably  a 
prisoner,  and  a  delay  of  one  or  two  days  can 
make  little  difference  to  him." 

"  But  can  we  go  with  any  better  prospect  of 
success  to-morrow  or  next  day?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  a  march  of  sixteen  miles  and  a  half  will 
bring  us  to  the  Colorado  Chiquito — a  stream 
flowing  at  all  times  with  pure  water ;  there,  also, 
we  shall  find  abundance  of  grass  and  a  recently 
established  cavalry  camp.  I  received  a  letter 
from  the  department  commander  before  I  left 
Wingate,  stating  that  Lieutenant  Hubbell  and 
forty  New  Mexican  cavalry  had  been  ordered 
there  three  weeks  ago.  We  shall  find  an  abun 
dance  of  grain  at  the  camp,  and  can  put  our 
animals  in  good  condition  for  an  expedition  into 
Elarnagan's  country  in  a  few  days.  Now, 
gentlemen,  let  us  get  such  rest  as  we  can,  and 
start  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning." 


IX 

THE    RESCUING   PARTY 

AT  the  close  of  the  consultation  I  rejoined 
Corporal  Frank,  and  we  went  back  to  our  former 
seat  under  the  cliff.  The  boy  was  exceedingly 
depressed,  and  I  did  my  best  to  persuade  him 
that  all  would  end  well  and  his  brother  would 
be  rescued. 

"  But  he  may  be  dead,  or  dying,"  he  answered 
to  my  arguments. 

"  No ;  that  is  improbable.  Had  he  been  killed, 
the  Indians  would  have  taken  particular  pains 
to  mutilate  and  place  his  body  where  the  passing 
column  would  have  seen  it.  That  in  itself  is 
good  evidence  that  he  is  living.  The  worst 
that  is  likely  to  happen  is  that  he  may  be  held 
for  ransom  or  exchange." 

"But  how  can  I  wait?"  exclaimed  Frank. 
"  I  feel  as  though  I  ought  to  start  now." 

"That  would  do  no  good,"  I  replied.     "You 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

cannot  find  your  brother's  trail,  nor  could  you 
follow  it  in  the  night." 

"I  cannot  help  thinking,  sir,  that  Henry  will 
send  Vicky  with  a  message,  and  I  fear  that  she 
cannot  follow  us  so  far.  She  must  be  fearfully 
hungry  and  thirsty.  I  feel  as  if  I  ought  to  go 
and  meet  her." 

"You  may  be  right  about  the  message.  As 
Vic  was  without  her  collar,  she  may  not  have 
been  killed." 

The  hours  crept  slowly  on.  The  uneasy  animals 
never  ceased  their  walk  backward  and  forward 
between  the  water  and  the  wagons,  uttering 
their  discontent.  Towards  midnight,  overcome 
by  the  fatigues  of  the  day,  I  fell  into  a  doze, 
and  did  not  wake  until  called  at  three. 

A  breakfast  similar  to  our  supper  was  served, 
and  we  were  ready  for  the  road.  The  mules  were 
harnessed  while  vigorously  braying  their  protests 
against  such  ill  usage,  and,  once  under  way, 
slowly  drew  the  wagons  to  the  summit  of  the 
divide  between  the  Lithodendron  and  the  Little 
Colorado,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles. 

I  did  not  see  Frank  while  overlooking  the 
drawing  out  of  the  train,  but  gave  myself  no 

132 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

anxiety  on  his  account,  thinking  he  had  ac 
companied  the  advance.  We  had  proceeded 
about  a  mile  when  a  corporal  of  the  guard  ran 
after  me,  and  reported  that  the  Arnolds  were  not 
hitching  up.  Halting  the  train,  I  rode  back  and 
found  Brenda  sitting  by  the  road-side  in  tears. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Miss  Arnold?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  it  is  something  this  time,"  she  sobbed, 
"that  even  you  cannot  remedy." 

"Then  you  think  I  can  generally  remedy 
things?  Thank  you." 

"  You  have  always  helped  us,  but  I  do  not  see 
how  you  can  now." 

"What  is  the  trouble,  please?" 

"  Our  poor  oxen  have  worn  their  hoofs  through 
to  the  quick.  They  were  obliged  to  travel  very 
fast  yesterday,  and  over  a  flinty  road,  and  their 
hoofs  are  worn  and  bleeding.  Uncle  says  we 
must  remain  behind." 

"  Perhaps  things  are  not  as  bad  as  you  think," 
I  said.  "  Let  us  go  back  and  see." 

Rising  dejectedly,  and  by  no  means  inspired 
by  hope,  Brenda  led  the  way  to  the  Arnold 
wagons,  where  I  found  the  father  and  mother  on 
their  knees  beside  an  ox,  engaged  in  binding 

133 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rawhide  "boots"  to  the  animal's  feet.  These 
boots  were  squares  cut  from  a  fresh  hide  pro 
cured  from  the  last  ox  slaughtered  by  the  sol 
dier-butcher.  The  foot  of  the  ox  being  set  in 
the  centre,  the  square  was  gathered  about  the 
ankle  and  fastened  with  a  thong  of  buckskin. 

"Are  all  of  your  cattle  in  this  condition,  Mr. 
Arnold?"  I  asked. 

"Only  one  other's  's  bad's  this,  but  all  uv 
'em's  bad." 

"  That  certainly  is  a  very  bad-looking  foot.  I 
don't  see  how  you  kept  up,  with  cattle  in  that 
condition." 

"Had  to,  or  git  left." 

"  That's  where  you  make  a  mistake.  We  could 
not  leave  you  behind." 

"  I  didn't  think  'twould  be  uv  any  use  t'  say 
anythin',"  said  Mr.  Arnold.  "You  seem  t'  have 
all  you  can  haul  now." 

"We  have  over  three  hundred  head  of  oxen 
in  our  commissary  herd  that  we  purchased  of  a 
freighter.  We  can  exchange  with  you.  A  beef 
is  a  beef.  Turn  your  cattle  into  our  herd,  and 
catch  up  a  new  lot.  When  we  get  to  Prescott 
you  can  have  your  old  teams  if  you  want  them." 
134 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Thank  you  agin,  sir.  I  shall  want  'em. 
They  know  my  ways  an'  I  know  theirs." 

From  the  top  of  the  divide  the  road,  smooth 
and  hard,  descended  to  the  river,  ten  miles  away. 
At  nine  o'clock  the  head  of  the  column  had 
reached  the  banks,  and  a  few  moments  later 
men  and  horses  had  partaken  of  the  clear,  cool 
water. 

As  the  infantry  and  cavalry  moved  away  from 
the  shore  the  wagons  came  down  the  decline, 
the  mules  braying  with  excitement  at  the  sight 
of  the  water  gleaming  through  the  green  foliage 
of  the  cottonwoods  and  the  verdant  acres  of 
rich  grass  that  stretched  along  the  river-side. 
Brakes  were  put  on  and  wheels  double-locked, 
until  the  harness  could  be  stripped  off  and  the 
half-frantic  animals  set  free  to  take  a  turn  in 
the  river. 

Sheep  and  oxen  plunged  down  the  banks  and 
stood  leg-deep  in  the  current  while  they  drank 
the  grateful  water.  A  few  moments  later  all  the 
refreshed  animals  were  cropping  the  generous 
grass.  As  I  was  going  to  Captain  Bayard  I  ob 
served  Brenda  Arnold  taking  the  odometer  from 
its  wheel  and  making  an  entry  in  a  note-book. 

135 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Approaching  her,  I  asked:  "Why  are  you  doing 
that,  Miss  Brenda?" 

"  I  promised  Mr.  Frank  I  would  do  it  until  he 
and  Mr.  Henry  return,"  was  her  answer. 

"Promised  Frank?    Where  has  he  gone?" 

"  Gone  to  find  his  brother." 

"And  you  knew  what  you  are  telling  me 
when  we  were  exchanging  oxen  this  morn- 
ing?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me?" 

"Mr.  Frank  said  I  must  not  before  we  arrived 
here." 

"Have  you  no  idea  of  the  fearful  danger  in 
which  he  has  placed  himself?" 

"  I  know  he  has  gone  to  find  Henry,  and  that 
he  said  he  should  find  him,"  and  the  pretty 
girl  betrayed  her  lack  of  confidence  in  the  boy's 
project  by  sitting  down  in  the  grass  and  burst 
ing  into  tears. 

"When  did  Corporal  Frank  start?"  I  asked. 

"  Last  night.  He  gave  Sancho  about  a  dozen 
pounds  of  hard  bread,  filled  his  canteen  with 
water  which  Aunt  Martha  had  filtered  through 
sand,  and  asked  me  to  attend  to  the  odometer, 

136 


and  rode  off  in  the  darkness.  Don't  you  really 
believe  the  boys  will  return,  sir?" 

"God  grant  they  may,"  I  answered;  "but  it 
is  very  doubtful." 

Here  was  fresh  trouble — trouble  the  whole 
command  shared,  but  which  rested  heaviest 
upon  Captain  Bayard  and  myself.  We  were 
answerable  to  Colonel  Burton  for  the  manner 
in  which  we  executed  his  trust. 

"Ride  down  the  valley,"  said  the  captain  to 
me  after  I  had  concluded  my  account  of  what 
Brenda  had  said,  "  and  look  for  Lieutenant  Hub- 
bell's  camp.  It  cannot  be  far  from  here.  Tell 
him  to  send  me  three  days'  grain  for  forty  ani 
mals.  While  you  are  gone  I  will  select  a  camp 
farther  down  stream,  and  within  easy  communi 
cation  with  him,  park  the  train,  and  establish 
order.  We  will  remain  here  until  we  know  what 
has  become  of  the  boys." 

I  found  the  New  Mexican  cavalry  camp  three 
miles  down  the  river,  and  obtained  the  desired 
forage.  When  I  returned  our  new  camp  was  estab 
lished,  fires  burning,  and  cooking  well  under  way. 

Captain  Bayard  informed  me  that  the  detach 
ment  of  Mexican  cavalry  which  had  accom- 

137 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

panied  us  thus  far  would  leave  at  this  point  and 
not  rejoin  us.  "I  have  ordered  Baldwin  to  grain 
his  horses  and  be  ready  to  start  in  search  of  our 
boys  at  daybreak,"  continued  the  captain.  "  You 
will  accompany  him.  We  shall  be  in  no  danger, 
with  Hubbell  so  near.  You  can  take  thirty 
pounds  of  grain  on  your  saddles,  and  you  will 
find  plenty  of  water  on  the  Carizo  where  it 
breaks  from  the  hills." 

"  How  many  days  are  we  to  stay  out?" 

"You  are  to  take  five  days'  rations.  If  the 
boys  are  not  found  in  that  time  I  fear  they  will 
never  be  found." 

I  went  to  bed  early,  and  soon  fell  into  a  fitful 
slumber,  which  lasted  until  an  hour  before  mid 
night.  I  arose,  dressed,  and  sat  down  by  the 
smouldering  camp-fire,  a  prey  to  unpleasant  re 
flections. 

Suddenly  the  sound  of  a  cantering  horse  ap 
proaching  from  the  north  fell  upon  my  ears. 
What  could  it  mean?  I  listened  intently.  The 
horse  slowed  down  to  a  walk.  He  entered  the 
camp.  The  voice  of  Private  Tom  Clary,  who 
was  posted  as  sentinel  No.  i,  challenged:  "Halt! 
— who  comes  there?" 

138 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"A  friend — Corporal  Frank  Burton,"  was  the 
answer. 

"Blest  be  the  saints!  Corpril  Frank,  laddie, 
is  it  you— and  aloive?"  said  the  sentinel,  for 
getting  in  his  joy  to  continue  the  usual  formal 
ity  of  the  challenge  or  to  call  the  corporal  of  the 
guard. 

Springing  from  my  seat  I  walked  towards  the 
sentinel,  and  there,  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  I 
saw  Frank,  mounted  upon.Sancho,  with  Vic  in 
his  arms.  I  reached  up  to  take  my  dog,  but  the 
boy  quickly  exclaimed : 

"  Be  careful,  sir,  be  careful !  She's  badly  hurt. 
Here's  the  letter  she  brought.  Henry  is  alive." 

To  attempt  to  relate  all  that  now  occurred 
would  be  impossible.  In  some  mysterious  man 
ner  the  news  of  Frank's  arrival  crept  through  the 
camp,  and  half  -  dressed  figures  of  officers  and 
soldiers  gathered  about  the  camp-fire,  curious  to 
listen  to  an  account  of  the  boy's  adventure. 
One  little,  blanketed  figure  ran  out  of  the  dark 
ness,  caught  Vic's  face  between  her  two  palms, 
nestled  her  cheek  against  it,  and  with  a  cheerful 
"good -night,"  disappeared  as  suddenly  as  she 
had  come. 

139 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

I  took  Vic  in  my  lap  as  I  sat  on  the  ground, 
and  by  the  light  of  a  blazing  pine-knot  proceeded 
to  examine  her  condition.  I  found  the  mouth 
and  feet  of  the  poor  animal  full  of  the  spines 
of  the  cholla  cactus,  a  growth  which  is  simply  a 
mass  of  fine  thorns.  This  cactus  grows  in  patches, 
and  when  the  dead  clusters  fall  to  the  ground 
the  spines  stick  to  everything  touching  them. 
The  dog  had  stepped  into  a  bed  of  these  bunched 
needles,  and  filled  her  feet,  and  in  trying  to 
remove  them  with  her  teeth  had  thrust  them 
through  cheeks,  lips,  and  tongue,  literally  clos 
ing  her  jaws.  Her  paws  bristled  with  them  like 
pin-cushions. 

As  to  Frank's  adventures:  After  leaving  the 
Arnolds,  as  already  described  by  Brenda,  he 
retraced  the  route  to  Carizo  Creek  and  to  the 
Rio  Puerco  without  seeing  any  sign  of  his  broth 
er.  Returning  to  the  west  he  dismounted  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Carizo.  He  felt  sure  that  if 
Henry  had  been  captured  by  the  Navajos  he 
must  have  been  taken  in  the  dry  bed  of  that 
creek. 

A  long  and  patient  search  resulted  in  the 
discovery  of  tracks  made  by  several  ponies 

140 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

running  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Carizo 
to  the  north  and  the  hills.  One  of  the  set  showed 
the  print  of  iron  shoes.  Frank  mounted  again 
and  followed  this  trail  up  the  valley  for  some 
hours.  He  was  thinking  about  returning,  when 
he  saw  a  white  object  moving  on  a  hill-side,  far 
in  advance.  It  seemed  to  tumble,  rise,  and  go 
in  a  circle,  then  tumble,  rise,  and  circle  again. 
Frank's  curiosity  was  aroused,  and  he  rode  on  to 
examine  the  object.  A  few  hundred  yards  more 
revealed  the  fact  that  he  had  come  upon  the 
missing  Vic,  and  that  something  was  seriously 
the  matter  with  her.  At  first  Frank  thought  she 
was  mad  or  in  a  fit,  but  as  he  came  nearer  she 
sat  up  and  made  demonstrations  of  joy  at  his 
approach.  He  dismounted,  and  found  her  in 
the  condition  already  described.  On  the  ground 
was  a  chip,  neatly  cut  and  shaven,  which  she 
was  in  vain  attempting  to  take  between  her 
sealed  jaws.  Frank  understood  the  matter  at 
once.  Whenever  Victoriana  was  sent  on  a 
message  she  was  given  a  stick  to  deliver.  It 
was  plain  that  some  one  had  sent  her  to  either 
Frank  or  me.  Of  course,  it  could  have  been  no 
one  but  Henry.  She  had  come  thus  far,  and 

141 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

had  stepped  into  a  bed  of  cholla.  In  trying 
to  remove  the  needles  from  her  feet  she  had 
absolutely  sealed  her  mouth ;  in  the  attempt 
to  recover  the  chip  she  had  made  the  move 
ments  that  had  attracted  the  boy's  atten 
tion. 

Nothing  was  written  on  the  stick.  Around 
the  dog's  neck  was  tied  a  cravat  of  dirty  buck 
skin.  Untying  and  opening  it,  Frank  found  the 
inner  surface  covered  with  writing,  evidently 
traced  in  berry-juice  with  a  quill  or  a  stick.  It 
read  as  follows: 

"Captured  by  the  Navajos.  Am  herding  ponies 
north  of  Twin  Buttes,  at  the  head  of  Carizo.  Come  to 
butte  with  cavalry,  and  wave  handkerchief  from  left 
peak  about  noon.  If  I  do  not  come,  look  for  me  in 
plain  north  of  butte.  Don't  worry;  I'm  all  right. 

"HENRY." 

I  remained  at  the  fire  long  after  every  one  had 
returned  to  their  beds  or  duty,  busy  in  extracting 
the  cholla  spines  from  Vic's  mouth  and  feet. 
The  dog  seemed  to  understand  the  necessity  of 
the  treatment  she  was  receiving,  and  bore  the 
pain  submissively,  with  only  occasional  moans 
and  cries,  until  the  operation  ended.  She  then 
142 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

received  a  drink  of  water,  and  went  to  bed  with 
Frank. 

At  daybreak  the  rescue  detachment  left  camp, 
retraced  our  route  to  the  Carizo,  where  Corporal 
Frank  put  us  upon  the  trail  of  the  Indians.  We 
climbed  to  the  highest  point  reached  by  the 
path,  and  saw  it  descend  on  the  opposite  side 
to  a  brook,  deep  in  the  valley.  Here  we  halted, 
took  the  horses  a  short  distance  down  the  slope 
we  had  just  ascended,  picketed  them  in  a  grassy 
nook,  and  Frank  and  I  started  to  ascend  the  left 
peak. 

"Mr.  Baldwin,"  I  said,  as  I  moved  away, 
"when  you  see  us  start  to  return,  saddle  and 
bridle  as  rapidly  as  possible,  so  as  to  be  ready 
for  emergencies." 

"I'll  do  so.  You  can  depend  upon  us  to  be 
ready  when  wanted,"  was  the  reply. 

We  scrambled  through  a  scattering  growth 
of  pinon  and  junipers  for  several  yards,  and  at 
last  came  to  a  perpendicular  shaft  of  sandstone 
twenty  feet  high,  with  a  flat  top.  The  diameter 
of  the  shaft  was  about  fifty  feet. 

"Henry  could  not  have  come  up  here,  or  he 
never  would  have  set  us  to  attempt  an  impossi- 

143 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

bility,"  said  Frank,  as  his  eyes  ran  up  and  down 
the  rock. 

"  Perhaps  it  may  not  be  so  impossible  as  it  ap 
pears,"  I  replied.  "Let  us  walk  round  the 
butte." 

We  passed  to  the  right,  and,  having  found  a 
practicable  place  for  attempting  the  ascent,  ac 
complished  the  feat  in  a  few  moments. 

On  the  flat  summit  we  found  the  remains  of 
former  fires  that  had  undoubtedly  been  lighted 
as  signals.  The  view  was  grand  and  extensive. 
Directly  to  the  north  lay  many  verdant  valleys — 
grazing-grounds  of  the  nomadic  Navajos.  One 
of  these  valleys  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
upon  which  we  stood,  with  a  bright  stream  of 
water  crossing  its  hither  border.  Well  out  in  the 
valley  were  several  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and 
close  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  brook  was  a  herd 
of  ponies. 

After  Frank  had  looked  long  and  anxiously 
towards  the  flocks  and  herds,  he  said:  "Those 
specks  near  the  ponies  must  be  men,  I  suppose. 
I  wonder  if  Henry  is  among  them  ?  Shall  I  make 
signal?" 

"Not  yet.  It  is  not  yet  noon.  Let  us  lie 
144 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

down  among  these  rocks,  where  we  shall  be  less 
conspicuous,  and  use  the  field-glass." 

"Tell  me  what  you  see,  sir,  if  you  please." 

"There  are  five  large  flocks  of  sheep  in  the 
charge  of  a  lot  of  women,  some  mounted  and 
some  on  foot.  The  pony  herd,  which  must  num 
ber  several  hundred,  is  in  charge  of  three  naked 
Indians — boys,  I  think.  There  are  no  other  per 
sons  in  sight.  Take  a  look  for  yourself." 

Frank  accepted  the  glass  and  surveyed  the 
valley.  "  I  can  see  nothing  that  looks  like 
Henry,"  he  said.  "He  certainly  cannot  be 
there.  Why  are  those  boys  so  ghostly  white?" 

"They  are  covered  with  yeso  to  protect  them 
from  sunburn." 

"Oh  yes — whitewash." 

"Gypsum.  The  Mexicans  use  it  for  white 
wash,  and  to  preserve  the  complexion." 

"Well,  those  boys  must  have  plastered  it  on 
thick;  they  look  like  living  statues.  Not  a  rag 
on  them  except  'breech-clouts.'  Hello,  there 
comes  a  troop  around  that  mound  to  the  right. 
Must  be  two  hundred  men." 

Taking  the  glass,  I  looked  again.  Coming 
into  sight  from  the  opposite  side  of  an  elevation 
10  M5 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

on  the  farther  side  of  the  valley  was  a  party  of 
two  hundred  and  fifteen  Navajo  warriors.  They 
rode  to  each  flock  of  sheep  in  succession,  stopped 
near  the  women  a  few  moments,  and  then  came 
down  to  the  pony  herd.  They  approached  the 
boys,  and  one  large  Indian,  who  appeared  to  be 
the  chief,  lifted  the  smaller  boy  out  of  his  saddle, 
and,  swinging  him  to  his  shoulder,  dashed  around 
the  herd  at  full  speed,  and  then  set  him  back  in 
his  own  saddle,  and  patted  him  approvingly  on 
the  back. 

The  party  next  proceeded  to  exchange  the 
ponies  they  were  riding  for  fresh  ones  from  the 
herd,  and  then  disappeared  behind  the  trees 
which  bordered  the  brook  to  the  west. 

"The  pony  that  small  boy  rides  looks  like 
Chiquita,"  remarked  Frank;  "but  the  saddle 
and  bridle  are  different.  Sefiora  Perea  said  that 
Manuel  was  herding  ponies  for  the  Navajos,  and 
that  he  was  naked." 

"  Yes,  I  know;  but  the  letter  Vic  brought  from 
Henry  made  no  mention  of  another  boy,  and 
there  are  three  with  that  herd.  But  let  us  make 
the  signal  and  see  what  will  happen." 

Standing  up  and  advancing  to  the  edge  of  the 
146 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

butte's  top,  I  waved  my  handkerchief  from  side 
to  side,  keeping  my  eyes  fixed  upon  the  three 
boys.  They  formed  in  line,  facing  us,  looked 
long  in  our  direction,  and  then,  as  if  started  by 
a  spring,  they  flew  down  the  plain,  leaped  the 
brook,  and  galloped  up  the  long  ascent  towards 
the  concealed  cavalrymen. 


X 

THE  CORPORALS  ARE  PROMOTED 

THE  three  Indian  boys  were  doing  their  ut 
most  to  excite  their  ponies  to  their  greatest  speed 
up  the  height.  As  they  sped  on  they  glanced  re 
peatedly  backward,  as  if  fearing  pursuit.  High 
er  and  higher  they  came  up  the  steep  until  we 
could  not  doubt  it  was  their  intention  to  reach 
the  command. 

"What  does  it  mean?  What  does  it  mean?" 
exclaimed  Frank.  "Why  are  those  Navajo 
boys  running  their  horses  in  this  direction?  It 
can't  be—" 

"Never  mind,  Frank,"  I  interrupted.  "Let 
us  get  down  to  the  men  as  soon  as  we  can.  The 
Indian  women  are  already  riding  after  the  war- 
party." 

At  considerable  risk  to  life  and  limb  we  slid 
down  the  ragged  angle  which  we  had  ascended, 
148 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  hurried  to  where  Baldwin  and  the  soldiers 
stood  beside  their  saddled  steeds. 

We  had  barely  reached  the  crest  from  which 
we  could  see  the  valley  when  the  three  white 
washed  boys  appeared  on  their  panting  and  foam 
ing  animals,  the  little  one  on  the  buckskin  pony 
in  the  lead. 

"What  in  the  world  is  this?"  exclaimed  Bald 
win.  "  Three  whitewashed  young  redskins !  What 
do  they  want  of  us?" 

"Here  we  are!"  shouted  a  familiar  voice,  in 
excellent  English.  "  Here  we  are — Manuel,  Sa- 
poya,  and  I!" 

Before  we  could  sufficiently  recover  from  our 
surprise,  or,  rather,  calm  our  joyful  realization 
of  a  hope  born  of  the  boys'  start  from  the  valley 
below,  they  were  among  us,  and  Henry  had 
sprung  from  his  horse  and  embraced  his  brother, 
leaving  a  generous  coating  of  yeso  upon  the  army 
blue.  Tears  of  joy  had  ploughed  two  streaks 
through  the  whiting  on  his  face,  and  lent  a  comi 
cal  effect  to  the  boyish  countenance.  A  general 
handshake  ensued,  and  Corporal  Frank  asked, 
"  Where  are  your  clothes,  Henry?" 

"Confiscated  by  the  chief  Elarnagan." 
149 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Not  to  wear?" 

"  Well,  no;  I  think  they  might  prove  baggy  on 
his  diminutive  person." 

"Then  why  did  he  take  them?" 

"He  has  a  numerous  progeny,  and  the  young 
Elarnaganitos  have  an  article  apiece.  My  sad 
dle  and  bridle  went  to  Mrs.  Elarnagan.  She 
rides  astride,  you  know." 

"When  did  the  chief  take  your  clothes?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  I  arrived  in  the  valley  my 
horse  and  I  were  stripped  of —  But  hold  on, 
Frank;  what  am  I  thinking  of?"  and  Henry  ran 
to  one  of  the  other  boys,  a  graceful  youngster 
whose  perfect  limbs  and  handsome  face  the  yeso 
could  not  mask,  and  who  sat  his  horse  as  if  he 
were  a  part  of  the  animal.  Saying  something  to 
him  in  an  undertone,  the  boy  dismounted  and 
approached  me  with  Henry,  who  said,  in  Span 
ish:  "  This  is  Manuel  Augustine  Perea  y  Luna,  of 
Algodones.  It  is  he  who  planned  the  escape 
when  I  told  him  there  were  soldiers  near." 

I  took  the  Mexican  boy's  hand  and  assured 
him  of  the  great  happiness  his  escape  afforded 
me,  and  the  greater  happiness  it  would  afford 
his  mother  and  relatives. 

150 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Frank  approached,  took  Manuel's  hand,  and 
then  dropped  it  to  give  him  a  hearty  and  broth 
erly  embrace. 

"Ah,  Manuelito  mio,  I  dreamed  many  dreams 
of  rescuing  you  as  we  marched  through  this 
country,  but  I  never  believed  they  would  be  re 
alized,"  he  said. 

"  But  the  little  Enrique  acted,  and  I  am  here," 
laughed  Manuel. 

"And  Frank  acted,  too,"  said  I,  "as  you  shall 
soon  hear;  and  you  will  learn  that  it  took  both 
boys  to  effect  your  rescue." 

"Pardon  me,"  replied  Manuel,  "but  it  is  not 
safe  to  remain  here  longer.  Elarnagan,  whom 
you  saw  leaving  the  valley  with  his  warriors,  is 
intending  to  move  down  the  Lithodendron  to 
attack  your  train  somewhere  on  the  Colorado 
Chiquito." 

At  the  close  of  his  remarks  Manuel  turned  away, 
as  if  to  mount  his  horse,  and  then,  as  if  correcting 
an  oversight,  he  said,  "Wait  one  moment,  sir." 
Going  up  to  the  third  boy,  he  spoke  a  few  words 
to  him  in  an  unknown  tongue.  The  boy  sprang 
to  the  ground  and  came  forward.  "This  is 
Sapoya,"  continued  Manuel,  "  a  Cherokee  boy, 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

whom  I  found  a  captive  when  I  joined  Elarna- 
gan's  band.  He  is  my  brother,  and  will  go  with 
me  and  share  my  home." 

Sapoya  extended  his  hand  and  clasped  mine. 
He  was  a  handsome  Indian  boy,  about  the  same 
age  and  height  as  his  friend.  He  addressed  me 
in  Navajo,  which  was  interpreted  by  Manuel: 
"  I  am  glad  to  meet  one  who  has  helped  to  open 
the  broad  land  again  to  my  brother  and  me. 
But  our  horses  stand  still,  while  those  of  our 
enemy  fly  to  retake  us." 

Evidently  the  Mexican  and  Cherokee  boys  had 
no  desire  to  again  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Navajo  chief.  We  made  no  further  delay,  but 
mounted  and  forced  our  animals  down  the  moun 
tain  defiles  as  rapidly  as  possible.  As  soon  as 
the  route  would  permit,  Henry  and  Manuel  rode 
on  each  side  of  Frank,  and  I  heard  the  former 
ask  about  Vic.  Frank  answered  in  Spanish,  so 
that  the  Mexican  boy  might  understand.  Such 
expressions  as  "La  perra  brava!"  "La  fina  per- 
rita  Vic!"  from  time  to  time  showed  they  were 
hearing  of  Vic's  adventures. 

Finding  that  Corporal  Frank  was  not  doing 
himself  justice  in  his  narration,  I  drew  alongside 

152 


CAPTURED     BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  boys  and  related  what  I  knew  of  Frank's 
midnight  ride  and  rescue  of  Vic,  an  event  which, 
had  it  not  occurred,  would  have  left  Henry  and 
his  friends  still  in  captivity.  At  the  conclusion 
of  my  tale  Manuel  changed  his  position  from  the 
flank  to  one  between  the  brothers,  and,  taking  a 
hand  of  Frank  in  his  left,  and  one  of  Henry's  in 
his  right,  rode  on  a  few  moments  in  silence.  Then 
he  said : "  God  has  given  me,  among  many  friends, 
two  that  are  something  more.  But  for  your 
brave  acts  I  should  still  be  a  captive.  Thank 
you  for  myself,  my  dear  mother,  and  Sapoya." 

Having  reached  the  wagon-road  crossing  of 
the  Carizo,  we  turned  at  a  canter  over  the  divide 
between  it  and  the  Lithodendron.  As  we  rose 
above  a  terrace  our  attention  was  attracted  to 
two  mounted  Indians  scurrying  off  into  the 
broken  and  higher  country  on  our  right. 

"Ah,  look!"  shouted  Manuel;  "they  expected 
to  stop  three  naked,  unarmed  boys,  and  they  are 
surprised  to  meet  a  troop  of  cavalry!  Viva  los 
Estados  Unidos!  Run,  you  sheep  -  stealers,  we 
are  safely  out  of  your  hands!" 

Upon  reaching  the  summit  of  the  divide  the 
whole  war-party  stood  revealed,  far  to  our  right, 

153 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

out  of  rifle-shot.  Plainly,  our  presence  was  a 
great  surprise  to  them.  Although  they  greatly 
outnumbered  us,  the  country  was  too  open  for 
their  system  of  warfare,  and  they  were  poorly 
armed.  They  stood  sullenly  aloof,  and  allowed 
us  to  canter  past  unmolested. 

Just  as  our  rear  was  passing  them  we  noticed  a 
solitary  warrior  advance  and  show  a  white  cloth. 

"That  is  Elarnagan,"  said  Manuel.  "He 
wants  to  speak  with  you." 

Accompanied  by  the  Mexican  boy  to  act  as 
interpreter,  I  advanced  to  the  chief.  He  took 
my  hand  with  dignity,  and  said  he  accepted  the 
loss  of  his  pale-faced  captives  as  the  fortune  of 
war,  but  he  demanded  the  return  of  Sapoya. 
He  said  that  in  a  fight  with  the  Utes,  ten  years 
before,  his  people  had  captured  a  Cherokee  chief, 
who  was  visiting  that  tribe  with  his  wife  and 
child.  The  chief  and  his  wife  had  died,  and  he, 
Elarnagan,  had  brought  up  the  child  as  his  own. 
He  asked  that  Sapoya  be  restored  to  him. 

I  called  the  Indian  lad  to  me  and,  repeating 
the  words  of  the  chief,  said,  "You  may  answer 
for  yourself." 

"Sapoya  says  to  the  bravest  warrior  of  the 


>  2, 

73 

P>  S 

w  " 

g  > 

—•  5^ 

"  o 

a  z 


:  5° 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Navajos,  that  he  is  grateful  for  all  the  favors 
that  he  has  received,  and  that  he  thinks  he  has 
returned  by  hard  service  ample  payment  for  all. 
He  brought  parents,  three  horses,  and  ample 
clothing  to  the  Navajos ;  he  takes  nothing  away 
but  the  pony  he  rode.  He  has  shared  his  blank 
et  and  food  with  his  brother,  Manuel,  for  these 
many  moons,  undergoing  fatigue  and  exposure 
with  him,  until  his  heart  beats  as  one  with  his 
comrade's,  and  he  desires  to  go  with  him  to  his 
home  and  become  one  of  his  people." 

The  chief  said  nothing  in  reply,  but  advancing 
gave  his  hand  in  amity  to  both  boys,  and  rode 
back  to  his  people. 

"He  is  a  good  chief  and  a  brave  one,"  said 
Manuel,  as  we  rejoined  the  command,  "but  I 
should  cherish  kindlier  memories  of  him  if  he 
had  given  us  some  clothing  and  an  extra 
blanket." 

Later,  as  we  were  riding  slowly  out  of  the 
bed  of  Lithodendron,  Frank  said,  "  I  do  not  see 
how  the  Indians  came  to  spare  Vic." 

"One  of  them  did  attempt  to  kill  her,  but  I 
threw  my  arms  about  her  and  the  chief  patted 
her  head  and  gave  orders  that  she  should  not 

155 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

be  hurt.  I  think  if  her  collar  had  not  been 
taken  off  at  Laguna  she  would  have  been  killed 
in  a  scramble  to  possess  it.  Even  Elarnagan 
would  have  considered  her  life  worthless  com 
pared  with  the  possession  of  such  a  beautiful 
trinket." 

"  The  chief  seems  to  have  taken  quite  a  liking 
to  Corporal  Henry,"  I  remarked. 

"  Not  enough  to  allow  him  to  retain  his  cloth 
ing,"  said  Manuel;  "but  he  would  not  permit 
him  to  be  deprived  of  his  pony.  Perhaps 
you  saw  him,  when  you  were  on  the  butte, 
dash  round  the  herd  with  Henry  on  his  shoul 
der?" 

"Frank  and  I  saw  it,"  I  answered. 

"He  said,  when  he  placed  Henry  back  upon 
Chiquita,  '  He  will  make  a  brave  chief.' ': 

Camp  was  reached  a  little  after  dark,  and  the 
boys  plunged  into  the  river  to  remove  the  yeso, 
and  then  dressed  themselves  in  civilized  gar 
ments,  Henry  drawing  on  his  reserve,  and  the 
others  from  the  quartermaster's  stores. 

Had  not  Victoriana  been  a  modest  doggie,  the 
amount  of  praise  and  attention  she  received 
from  the  four  boys  would  have  turned  her  head ; 
156 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  the  boys  themselves  had  no  reason  to  com 
plain  of  the  kindly  congratulations  they  received 
from  the  infantry  company. 

Word  was  sent  to  Lieutenant  Hubbell  that 
Manuel  Perea  had  been  rescued,  and  the  follow 
ing  morning  all  the  New  Mexicans  not  on  duty 
rode  into  camp  to  congratulate  the  boy  upon  his 
escape.  Spanish  cheers  and  Spanish  felicitations 
filled  the  air  for  an  hour. 

When  the  volunteers  had  gone  and  quiet  was 
resumed,  Brenda  came,  and  her  delight  at  seeing 
the  boys  again  showed  itself  in  ceaseless  caress- 
ings  of  Vic  and  many  requests  for  a  repetition  of 
the  account  of  their  flying  ride  when  the  signal 
was  waved  from  the  butte.  When  she  at  last 
withdrew,  to  repeat  the  story  to  her  relatives, 
the  corporals  and  I  wrote  a  letter  to  Senora 
Perea,  to  be  delivered  by  her  son.  In  my  por 
tion  I  related  the  circumstances  attending  his 
recovery,  detailing  the  part  taken  by  the  boy 
corporals,  the  dog,  and  the  troop.  I  said  no  one 
desired  to  claim  the  generous  reward  she  had 
offered,  since  no  one  in  particular  had  rescued 
Manuel;  many  things  had  combined  to  enable 
him  to  escape.  If  the  lady  insisted  upon  pay- 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ing  the  reward,  we  all  desired  that  it  should  be 
devoted  to  the  education  of  Sapoya. 

Frank  added  a  few  lines,  and  Henry  closed  the 
letter.  The  younger  corporal  wrote : 

"I've  laughed  with  the  rest  over  my  two  days'  cap 
tivity  among  the  Navajos,  and  made  light  of  it.  I 
don't  mind  telling  you  that  after  shivering  through 
two  nights  without  clothes  and  without  enough  blank 
ets,  being  bitten  by  mosquitoes  and  flies,  and  scorched 
daytimes  by  the  sun,  I  begin  to  think  Manuel  a  great 
hero. 

"You  know  when  I  saw  you  I  told  you  I  was  going 
to  bring  back  Manuel  or  be  a  prisoner  with  him.  That, 
of  course,  was  all  foolish  talk,  for  I  planned  nothing. 
To  be  sure,  I  was  a  prisoner  with  him  for  two  days  and 
had  something  to  do  about  bringing  him  back,  but  it  all 
happened  without  planning.  It  seems  as  if  God  direct 
ed  us  all  through.  Frank,  Vic,  the  soldiers,  officers,  and 
myself — even  the  dry  time  from  Jacob's  Well  to  the 
Lithodendron — all  had  something  to  do  with  finding 
Manuel. 

"About  the  reward  the  lieutenant  speaks  of,  we 
think  none  of  us  deserve  it.  We've  talked  it  over,  and 
we  think  if  you  would  give  Sapoya  a  chance  at  school, 
and  if  you  cannot  make  a  white  boy  of  him  make  him 
an  educated  man,  that  would  be  the  best  reward.  He's 
very  intelligent,  and  if  he  can  have  a  good  chance  will 
learn  fast. 

1 '  Frank  and  I  have  a  scheme  we  hope  you  will  ap 
prove  of.  Mr.  Duncan  has  secured  a  detail  from  the 

158 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

War  Department  to  a  boys'  military  school  in  thw 
States  as  instructor  in  tactics,  and  will  probably  go  in 
November.  We  are  intending  to  ask  papa  to  let  us 
join  that  school  after  the  Christmas  holidays.  We 
want  you  to  send  Manuel  and  Sapoya  there.  Won't 
you,  please  ?  Be  sure  and  say  yes.  Think  what  a  fine 
chance  it  will  be  for  Sapoya. 

"You  know  we  boys  feel  something  more  than  a 
friendship  for  one  another.  I  suppose  it  is  like  the  com 
radeship  of  soldiers  who  have  stood  shoulder  to  shoul 
der  in  battle.  There  is  a  tie  uniting  us  that  is  closer 
and  firmer  than  friendship ;  we  feel  more  like  brothers. 

"We  will  write  often.     Hoping  Manuel  will  arrive 
home  safe,  and  that  he  may  never  again  be  a  captive, 
"  I  remain  your  friend, 

"HENRY  BURTON." 

Our  letters  were  despatched  by  Manuel  and 
Sapoya  to  Lieutenant  Hubbell's  camp,  where 
Captain  Bayard  directed  the  boys  to  await  the 
detachment  of  New  Mexican  cavalry  which  had 
accompanied  us  from  the  Rio  Grande  and  which 
was  shortly  to  return  there. 

We  resumed  our  march  the  following  day  at  a 
very  early  hour,  and  as  we  passed  the  cavalry 
camp  two  half-dressed  boys  came  bounding  out 
to  the  road-side  to  once  more  repeat  their  af 
fectionate  good-byes  and  renew  their  promises 
to  meet  in  the  future. 

159 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  march  continued  fora  week  longer,  through 
a  region  over  which  the  Pullman  car  now  rushes 
with  the  modern  tourist,  but  through  which  we 
moved  at  the  gait  of  infantry.  The  boy  cor 
porals  and  Brenda  Arnold  climbed  eminences, 
looked  through  clefts  in  precipices  into  the 
sublime  depths  of  the  great  canon,  stood  on  the 
edge  of  craters  of  extinct  volcanoes,  penetrated 
the  mysterious  caverns  of  the  cliff-dwellers,  fished 
for  trout  in  a  mountain  lake,  caught  axolotl  in 
a  tank  at  the  foot  of  San  Francisco  Mountain, 
shot  turkeys,  grouse,  and  antelope,  and  enjoyed 
the  march  as  only  healthy  youngsters  can. 
Brenda  became  a  pupil  of  the  boys  in  loading 
and  firing  their  revolvers,  carbines,  and  fowling- 
pieces,  and  made  many  a  bull's-eye  when  firing 
at  a  mark,  but  invariably  failed  to  hit  anything 
living.  Henry  said  she  was  too  tender-hearted 
to  aim  well  at  animals.  That  she  was  no  coward 
an  incident  to  be  told  in  a  future  chapter  will 
prove. 

When  our  train  and  its  escort  reached  Fort 

Whipple,  or,  rather,  the  site  of  that  work  —  for 

we  built  it  after  our  arrival — the  Arnolds  caught 

up  their  cattle  from  our  herd,  and  after  a  two 

160 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

weeks'  stay  in  Prescott  removed  to  a  section 
of  land  which  they  took  up  in  Skull  Valley,  ten 
miles  to  the  west  by  the  mountain  -  trail,  and 
twenty-five  miles  by  the  only  practicable  wagon- 
road.  This  place  was  selected  for  a  residence 
because  its  distance  from  Prescott  and  its  situa 
tion  at  the  junction  of  the  bridle-path  and  wagon- 
road  made  it  an  excellent  location  for  a  way-side 
inn. 

At  a  dress-parade  held  the  evening  before  the 
family's  departure  for  their  new  home,  Brenda 
sat  on  her  pony,  Gypsy,  near  Captain  Bayard, 
and  heard  an  order  read  advancing  her  young 
friends  from  the  grade  of  corporal  to  that  of 
sergeant,  "for  soldierly  attention  to  duty  on 
the  march,  gallant  conduct  in  the  affair  at 
Laguna,  and  meritorious  behavior  in  effecting 
the  rescue  of  captive  boys  from  the  Navajos  at 
Carizo  Creek ;  subject  to  the  approval  of  Colonel 
Burton." 


XI 

BOTH  PONIES  ARE  STOLEN 

"  HERE,  Frank,  come  and  help  push  this  gate. 
I  can't  start  it  alone." 

"  Don't  be  in  such  a  hurry,  Henry.  Wait  just 
a  moment.  I  think  I  hear  a  horse  coming  down 
the  Prescott  road.  I  want  to  see  if  it  is  the 
express  from  La  Paz." 

The  younger  boy  ceased  his  efforts  to  close  the 
gates,  and  advancing  a  few  steps  before  the 
entrance  of  the  fort,  looked  up  the  valley  to 
where  the  road  from  Prescott  appeared  from  be 
hind  a  spur  of  the  foot-hills.  The  two  boys  had 
mounted  their  sergeant's  chevrons  and  adopted 
wrhite  stripes  down  the  legs  of  their  trousers. 
As  they  stood  side  by  side  Vic  approached  and 
placed  herself  between  them,  nestling  her  deli 
cate  muzzle  against  the  younger  boy's  hip  and 
responding  to  his  caresses  with  waves  of  her 
plumy  tail. 

162 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Do  you  think  we  shall  hear  from  father, 
Frank?" 

"We  ought  to;  you  know  he  said  in  his  last 
letter  he  was  getting  settled  at  the  Presidio,  and 
would  soon  send  for  us." 

"Takes  twelve  days  to  bring  a  letter  from 
San  Francisco.  I  suppose  it  '11  take  us  longer  to 
go  there ;  seems  to  me  he  might  get  ready  for  us 
while  we  are  on  the  road,"  said  Henry,  lugubri 
ously.  "  I'm  getting  mighty  tired  of  opening 
and  shutting  these  gates." 

"You  forget  father  has  to  visit  all  the  posts 
where  companies  of  his  regiment  are  stationed. 
That  will  probably  take  him  all  of  a  month 
longer." 

"  And  we  must  go  on  opening  and  closing  gates 
and  running  errands  in  Arizona  ?  But  come ;  let's 
get  a  swing  on  'em  and  watch  for  the  express 
man  afterwards.  We  haven't  much  time  before 
retreat." 

The  gates  closed  a  fort  which  we  had  built 
since  our  arrival  in  Arizona.  Peeled  pine  logs, 
ten  feet  long,  had  been  set  up  vertically  in  the 
ground,  two  feet  of  them  below  the  surface  and 
eight  above,  enclosing  an  area  of  a  thousand 

163 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

square  feet,  in  which  were  store-rooms,  offices, 
and  quarters  for  two  companies  of  soldiers  and 
their  officers.  At  corners  diagonally  opposite 
each  other  were  two  large  block-house  bastions, 
commanding  the  flanks  of  the  fort.  The  logs  of 
the  walls  were  faced  on  two  sides  and  set  close 
together,  and  were  slotted  every  four  feet  for 
rifles.  At  one  of  the  corners  which  had  no 
bastions  were  double  gates,  also  made  of  logs, 
bound  by  cross  and  diagonal  bars,  dovetailed 
and  pinned  firmly  to  them.  Each  hung  on  huge, 
triple  hinges  of  iron. 

The  two  boys  returned  to  the  gates,  and,  set 
ting  their  backs  against  one  of  them  and  dig 
ging  their  heels  in  the  earth,  pushed  and  swung 
it  ponderously  and  slowly,  until  its  outer  edge 
caught  on  a  shelving  log  set  in  the  middle  of  the 
entrance  to  support  it  and  its  fellow.  Then,  as 
the  field-music  began  to  play  and  the  men  to 
assemble  in  line  for  retreat  roll-call,  they  swung 
the  second  gate  in  the  same  way,  and  braced  the 
two  with  heavy  timbers.  The  boys  then  re 
ported  the  gates  closed  to  the  adjutant. 

As  the  companies  broke  ranks  and  dispersed 
the  boy  sergeants  went  to  the  fifth  log,  to  the 
164 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

left  of  the  gates,  and  swung  it  back  on  its  hinges. 
This  was  one  of  two  secret  posterns.  On  the 
inside  of  the  wall,  when  closed,  its  location  was 
easily  noticeable  on  account  of  its  hinges,  latches, 
and  braces;  on  the  outside  it  looked  like  any 
other  log  in  the  wall.  Their  work  being  com 
pleted,  the  boys  asked  permission  of  the  adju 
tant  to  stand  outside  the  wall  and  watch  for  the 
mail. 

"All  right,  sergeants,"  said  the  adjutant; 
"  there  is  no  further  duty  for  you  to  perform  to 
day." 

Frank  and  Henry  ran  through  the  postern, 
and  arrived  on  the  crest  of  the  bluff  overlooking 
the  Prescott  road  just  as  a  horseman  turned  up 
the  height.  The  news  that  the  La  Paz  courier 
had  arrived  spread  rapidly  through  the  quarters, 
and  every  man  not  on  duty  appeared  outside 
the  walls. 

Joining  the  boy  sergeants,  I  said,  "  Boys,  if 
you  want  to  drop  the  job  of  opening  and  closing 
the  gates,  it  can  hereafter  be  done  by  the  guard." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  We  took  the  job,  and  we'll 
stick  to  it,"  replied  Sergeant  Frank. 

"  I  wonder  if  Samson  could  lift  those  gates  as 
165 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

easily  as  he  did  the  gates  of  Gaza?"  questioned 
Henry,  seating  himself  on  a  log  which  had  been 
rejected  in  the  building  and  taking  Vic's  head  in 
his  lap  and  fondling  her  silken  ears. 

"We  can't  remain  here  much  longer,"  said 
Frank;  "I  think  this  express  will  bring  an  order 
for  us  to  go  to  San  Francisco." 

"Very  likely.  No  doubt  life  here  is  not  very 
enjoyable  for  boys." 

"I  should  say  not,"  said  Henry,  "for  we  can't 
look  outside  the  fort  unless  a  dozen  soldiers  are 
along  for  fear  the  Apaches  '11  get  us." 

"  But  you  can  go  to  Prescott." 

"Prescott!"  in  a  tone  of  great  contempt; 
"  twenty  -seven  log  cabins  and  five  stores,  and 
not  a  boy  in  the  place  —  only  a  dozen  Pike 
County,  Missouri,  girls." 

"  And  we  can't  go  there  with  any  comfort  since 
Texas  Dick  and  Jumping  Jack  stole  Sancho  and 
Chiquita,"  added  Frank. 

Further  conversation  on  this  subject  was  tem 
porarily  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  the  ex 
pressman.  A  roan  bronco  galloped  up  the  slope, 
bearing  a  youthful  rider  wearing  a  light  buck 
skin  suit  and  a  soft  felt  hat  with  a  narrow  brim. 
166 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

He  was  armed  with  a  breech-loading  carbine  and 
two  revolvers,  and  carried,  attached  to  his  saddle, 
a  roll  of  blankets,  a  haversack,  and  a  mail-pouch. 

Dismounting,  he  detached  the  pouch,  at  the 
same  time  answering  questions  and  giving  us 
items  of  news  later  than  any  contained  in  his 
despatches. 

After  handing  his  pouch  to  the  quartermaster- 
sergeant,  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  boy  sergeants. 

"I  saw  Texas  Dick  and  Juan  Brincos  at  Cis- 
ternas  Negras,"  he  said,  addressing  them. 

"My!  Did  you,  Mr.  Hudson?"  exclaimed 
Henry,  springing  to  his  feet  and  approaching  the 
courier.  "Did  they  have  our  ponies?" 

"You  know  I  never  saw  your  ponies;  but 
Dick  was  mounted  on  a  black,  with  a  white  star 
in  his  forehead,  and  Juan  on  a  cream-color,  with 
a  brown  mane  and  tail." 

"Sancho!"  said  Frank. 

"Chiquita!"  said  Henry. 

"Do  you  know  where  they  were  bound?'' 
asked  Captain  Bayard. 

"  I  did  not  speak  to  them,  nor  did  they  see  me; 
I  thought  it  would  be  better  to  keep  out  of  the 
way  of  such  desperate  characters  in  a  lonely 
167 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

place.  I  learned  from  a  friend  of  theirs  at  Date 
Creek  that  they  intend  to  open  a  monte  bank 
at  La  Paz." 

"  Then  they  are  likely  to  remain  there  for  some 
time." 

"Can't  something  be  done  to  get  the  ponies 
back,  sir?"  asked  Frank. 

"Perhaps  so.     I  will  consider  the  matter." 

The  mail  was  taken  to  my  office  and  soon  dis 
tributed  through  the  command.  Among  my 
letters  was  one  from  Colonel  Burton,  the  father 
of  the  boy  sergeants.  He  said  he  had  been  ex 
pecting  to  send  for  his  sons  by  this  mail,  but  ad 
ditional  detached  service  had  been  required  of 
him  which  might  delay  their  departure  from 
Whipple  for  another  month,  if  not  longer.  He 
informed  me  that  a  detail  I  had  received  to  duty 
as  professor  of  military  science  and  tactics  in  a 
boys'  military  school  had  been  withheld  by  the 
department  commander  until  my  services  could 
be  spared  at  Fort  Whipple,  and  that  he  thought 
the  next  mail,  or  the  one  following  it,  would 
bring  an  order  relieving  me  and  ordering  me  East. 
This  would  enable  me  to  leave  for  the  coast  about 
the  first  week  in  November. 
168 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Frank  and  Henry  shared  my  quarters  with  me, 
and  that  evening,  seated  before  an  open  fire,  I 
read  their  father's  letter,  and  remarked  that  per 
haps  I  should  be  able  to  accompany  them  to  San 
Francisco,  and,  if  the  colonel  consented  to  their 
request  to  go  to  the  military  school  with  me,  we 
might  take  the  same  steamer  for  Panama  and 
New  York. 

"Oh,  won't  that  be  too  fine  for  anything!" 
exclaimed  the  younger  sergeant.  "  Then  I'll  not 
have  to  leave  Vicky  here,  after  all." 

Vic,  upon  hearing  her  name  called,  left  her 
rug  at  my  feet  and  placed  her  nose  on  Henry's 
knee,  and  the  boy  stroked  and  patted  her  in  his 
usual  affectionate  manner. 

"Then  you  have  been  dreading  to  leave  the 
doggie?"  I  asked. 

"Yes;  I  dream  all  sorts  of  uncomfortable 
things  about  her.  She's  in  trouble,  or  I  am,  and 
I  cannot  rescue  her  and  she  cannot  help  me. 
Usually  we  are  parting,  and  I  see  her  far  off,  look 
ing  sadly  back  at  me." 

"  Henry  is  not  the  only  one  who  dreads  to  part 
with  Vic,"  said  Frank.  "We  boys  can  never 
forget  the  scenes  at  Los  Valles  Grandes,  Laguna, 

169 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  the  Rio  Carizo.  She  saved  our  lives,  helped 
recover  Chiquita,  and  she  helped  rescue  Manuel, 
Sapoya,  and  Henry  from  the  Navajos." 

"  Yes ;  but  for  her  I  might  have  lost  my  brother 
at  La  Roca  Grande,"  remarked  Henry.  "That 
was  probably  her  greatest  feat.  Nice  little  dog 
gie — good  little  Vicky — are  you  really  to  go  to 
San  Francisco  and  the  East  with  us?" 

"  I  believe  if  I  only  had  Sancho  back,  and 
Henry  had  Chiquita,  I  should  be  perfectly  hap 
py,"  observed  the  elder  brother. 

After  a  slight  pause,  during  which  the  boy 
seemed  to  have  relapsed  into  his  former  de 
pression,  Henry  asked: 

"Do  they  have  cavalry  drill  at  that  school?" 

"  Yes,  the  superintendent  keeps  twenty  light 
horses,  and  allows  some  of  the  cadets  to  keep 
private  animals.  All  are  used  in  drill." 

"And  if  we  get  our  ponies  back,  I  suppose  wTe 
shall  have  to  leave  them  here.  Do  you  think, 
sir,  there  is  any  chance  of  our  seeing  them  again  ?' ' 
asked  Frank. 

"Not  unless  some  one  can  go  to  La  Paz  for 
them.     Captain  Bayard  is  going  to  see  me  after 
supper  about  a  plan  of  his  to  retake  them." 
170 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  I  wonder  what  officer  he  will  send?" 

"Perhaps  I  shall  go." 

"Father  could  never  stand  the  expense  of 
sending  them  to  the  States,  I  suppose,"  said 
Henry,  despondently. 

"They  could  easily  be  sent  to  the  Missouri 
River  without  cost,"  I  observed. 

"How,  please?" 

"There  is  a  quartermaster's  train  due  here  in 
a  few  weeks.  It  would  cost  nothing  to  send  the 
ponies  by  the  wagon-master  to  Fort  Union,  and 
then  they  could  be  transferred  to  another  train  to 
Fort  Leavenworth." 

"  Frank,  I've  a  scheme!"  exclaimed  the  young 
er  boy. 

"What  is  it?" 

"  If  Mr.  Duncan  finds  Sancho  and  Chiquita, 
let's  send  them  to  Manuel  Perea  and  Sapoya  on 
the  Rio  Grande.  When  they  go  to  the  military 
school  they  can  take  our  horses  and  theirs,  and 
we'll  join  the  cavalry." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Frank.     "  Manuel  wrote  that 

if  he  went  to  school  he  should  cross  the  plains 

with  his  uncle,  Miguel  Otero,  who  is  a  freighter. 

He  could  take  the  whole  outfit  East  for  nothing. 

171 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

There  would  remain  only  the  cost  of  shipping 
them  from  Kansas  City  to  the  school." 

"Yes,  but  before  you  cook  a  hare  you  must 
catch  him,"  said  I. 

"And  our  two  hares  are  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Xuacaxella1  Desert,"  said  Frank,  despond 
ently.  "  I  suppose  there  is  small  chance  of  our 
ever  seeing  them  again." 

Our  two  boy  sergeants  had  found  life  in  Ari 
zona  scarcely  monotonous,  for  the  hostile  Apa 
ches  made  it  lively  enough,  compelling  us  to 
build  a  defensible  post  and  look  well  to  the  pro 
tection  of  our  stock.  A  few  years  later  a  large 
force,  occupying  many  posts,  found  it  difficult 
to  maintain  themselves  against  those  Indians, 
so  it  cannot  seem  strange  to  the  reader  that  our 
small  garrison  of  a  hundred  soldiers  should  find 
it  difficult  to  do  much  more  than  act  on  the  de 
fensive.  Close  confinement  to  the  reservation 
chafed  the  boys. 

A  ride  to  Prescott,  two  miles  distant,  was  the 
longest  the  boys  had  taken  alone.  Two  weeks 
before  this  chapter  opens  they  had  been  invited 

1  Pronounced  Hwar-car-hal-yar 
1,72 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

to  dine  with  Governor  Goodwin,  the  Governor  of 
the  Territory,  and  he  had  made  their  call  ex 
ceedingly  pleasant.  When,  at  an  advanced  hour 
in  the  evening,  the  boys  took  leave  of  their  host 
and  went  to  the  stable  for  their  horses,  they 
found  them  gone,  with  their  saddles  and  bridles. 

Inquiries  made  next  day  in  town  elicited  the 
information  that  two  notorious  frontier  scamps, 
Texas  Dick  and  Juan  Brincos,  an  American  and 
Mexican,  were  missing,  and  it  was  the  opinion 
of  civil  and  military  authorities  that  they  had 
stolen  the  ponies.  The  boys  took  Vic  to  the 
Governor's,  and,  showing  her  the  tracks  of  her 
equine  friends,  she  followed  them  several  miles 
on  the  Skull  Valley  trail.  It  was  plainly  evident 
that  the  thieves  had  gone  towards  the  Rio 
Colorado. 

After  supper  I  accompanied  the  commanding 
officer  to  his  quarters.  He  told  me  that  the  ex 
press  had  brought  him  a  communication  from 
the  department  commander,  stating  that,  since 
Arizona  had  been  transferred  to  the  Department 
of  the  Pacific,  our  stores  would  hereafter  be 
shipped  from  San  Francisco  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Colorado,  and  up  that  stream  by  the  boats 
173 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

of  the  Colorado  Steam  Navigation  Company  to 
La  Paz.  He  said  he  had  decided  to  send  me  to 
La  Paz  to  make  arrangements  with  a  freighter 
for  the  transportation  of  the  supplies  from  the 
company's  landing  to  Fort  Whipple. 

"And  while  you  are  in  La  Paz,"  said  the  cap 
tain,  "look  after  those  horse -thieves,  and  turn 
them  over  to  the  civil  authorities ;  but,  whether 
you  capture  them  or  not,  be  sure  to  bring  back 
the  boys'  ponies." 

"What  do  you  think  about  allowing  the  boys 
to  go  with  me?" 

"  No  doubt  they  would  like  it,  for  life  has  been 
rather  monotonous  to  them  for  some  time,  es 
pecially  since  they  lost  their  horses.  Think  it 
would  be  safe?" 

"  No  Indians  have  been  seen  on  the  route  for 
some  time." 

"The  'calm  before  the  storm,'  I  fear." 

"  The  mail-rider,  Hudson,  has  seen  no  signs 
for  a  long  time." 

"So  he  told  me.  The  excursion  would  be  a 
big  treat  to  the  lads,  and,  with  a  good  escort  and 
you  in  command,  Duncan,  I  think  they  will  be 
in  no  danger.  Tell  the  adjutant  to  detail  a 

174 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

corporal  and  any  twelve  men  you  may  select, 
and  take  an  ambulance  and  driver." 

"  Shall  I  go  by  Bill  Williams  Fork  or  across  the 
Xuacaxella?" 

"The  desert  route  is  the  shortest,  and  the 
courier  says  there  is  water  in  the  Hole-in-the- 
Plain.  There  was  a  rainfall  there  last  week. 
That  will  give  you  water  at  the  end  of  each 
day's  drive." 

I  returned  to  my  rooms  and  looked  over  an 
itinerary  of  the  route,  with  a  schedule  of  the 
distances,  and  other  useful  information.  After 
making  myself  familiar  with  all  its  peculiarities, 
I  told  Frank  and  Henry  that  if  they  desired  to 
do  so  they  might  accompany  me. 

They  were  overjoyed  at  the  prospect.  Henry 
caught  Vic  by  the  forepaws  and  began  to  waltz 
about  the  room.  Then,  sitting  down,  he  held 
her  head  up  between  his  palms  and  informed 
her  that  she  was  going  to  bring  back  Sancho  and 
Chiquita. 

"  I  do  not  intend  to  take  Vic,  Henry,"  I  said. 

"Not  take  Vic?     Why  not,  sir?" 

"The  road  is  long  and  weary — six  days  going 
and  six  returning,  over  a  rough  and  dry  region — 

175 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  she  will  be  in  the  way  and  a  constant  care 
to  us." 

"  But  how  are  we  going  to  find  our  horses 
without  her  ?  She  always  helps  whenever  we  are 
in  trouble,  and  she  will  be  sure  to  assist  us  in 
this  if  we  take  her,"  said  Sergeant  Henry,  em 
phatically. 

"She  need  be  no  care  to  you,  sir,"  said  the 
elder  boy;  "Henry  and  I  will  look  after  her." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  you,  boys,  but  I 
cannot  take  the  dog.  She  will  be  left  with 
Captain  Bayard." 

This  decision  made  the  boys  somewhat  miser 
able  for  a  time.  They  commiserated  the  dog 
over  her  misfortune,  and  then  turned  their  at 
tention  to  preparations  for  the  journey. 

"  Have  you  ever  been  to  La  Paz?"  asked  Frank. 

"  I  have  never  been  beyond  Date  Creek  in 
that  direction,"  I  replied. 

"Is  the  Xuacaxella  really  a  desert?" 

"  Only  in  the  rainless  season.  Grasses,  cacti, 
and  shrubbery  not  needing  much  moisture  grow 
there.  One  of  the  geological  surveys  calls  it 
Cactus  Plain.  It  is  one  hundred  miles  long. 
There  is  water  in  a  fissure  of  a  mountain-spur 

176 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

on  one  side  called  the  Cisternas  Negras,  or  Black 
Tanks,  but  for  the  rest  of  the  distance  there  was 
formerly  no  water  except  in  depressions  after  a 
rainfall,  a  supply  that  quickly  evaporated  under 
a  hot  sun  and  in  a  dry  atmosphere.  A  man 
named  Tyson  has  lately  sunk  a  well  thirty  miles 
this  side  of  La  Paz." 

"  It  was  at  Black  Tanks  the  expressman  saw 
Texas  Dick  and  Juan  Brincos  with  our  ponies," 
said  Henry.  "  What  a  queer  name  that  is ! — Juan 
Brincos,  John  Jumper,  or  Jumping  Jack,  as  nearly 
every  one  calls  him." 

"  He  is  well  named ;  he  has  been  jumping  stock 
for  some  years." 

"I  thought  Western  people  always  hanged 
horse- thieves?" 

"  Not  when  they  steal  from  government. 
Western  people  are  too  apt  to  consider  army 
mules  and  horses  common  property,  and  they 
suppose  your  ponies  belong  to  Uncle  Sam." 

"  Frank,"  said  Henry,  just  before  the  boys  fell 
asleep  that  night,  "  I  felt  almost  sure  we  should 
recapture  the  ponies  when  I  thought  Vic  was 
going,  but  now  I'm  afraid  we  never  shall  see 
them  again." 

«  177 


XII 

INDIANS    ON   THE    WAR-PATH 

THE  following  day  we  were  so  delayed  by 
several  minor  affairs  that  we  did  not  begin 
our  journey  until  the  middle  of  the  after 
noon. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write  there  were  but 
two  wagon-roads  out  of  Prescott — one  through 
Fort  Whipple,  which,  several  miles  to  the  north, 
divided  into  a  road  to  the  west,  the  one  over 
which  we  had  marched  from  New  Mexico,  and  a 
second  which  left  in  a  northwesterly  direction. 
We  took  the  latter,  pursuing  it  along  the  east 
side  of  Granite  Range  for  eight  miles,  when  we 
passed  through  a  notch  in  the  range  to  Mint 
Creek,  where  the  road  made  an  acute  angle  and 
followed  a  generally  southwesterly  course  to  La 
Paz. 

We  halted  for  the  night  at  the  creek,  eight 
miles  from  the  fort.  Our  ambulance  was  pro- 

178 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

vided  with  four  seats  —  one  in  front  for  the 
driver,  fixed  front  and  rear  seats  in  the  interior, 
with  a  movable  middle  seat,  the  back  of  which 
could  be  let  down  so  that  it  fitted  the  interval 
between  the  others  and  afforded  a  fairly  com 
fortable  bed.  On  the  rack  behind  were  carried 
the  mess  chest,  provisions,  and  bedding,  and  in 
side,  under  the  seats,  were  the  ammunition  and 
some  articles  of  personal  baggage.  Beneath  the 
axle  swung  a  ten-gallon  keg  and  a  nest  of  camp 
kettles. 

While  supper  was  being  prepared  the  boys 
wandered  about  the  reed  -  grass  in  a  fruitless 
search  for  some  ducks  they  had  seen  settle  in 
the  creek.  Private  Tom  Clary,  who  was  acting 
as  our  cook,  having  spread  our  meal  of  fried 
bacon,  bread,  and  coffee  upon  a  blanket  to  the 
windward  of  the  fire,  called  them  to  supper. 
While  sugaring  and  stirring  our  coffee,  the  cook 
stood  by  the  fire  holding  two  long  rods  in  his 
hands,  upon  the  ends  of  which  were  slices  of  ba 
con  broiling  before  the  glowing  coals.  Suddenly 
he  exclaimed : 

"Look  there,  sergeant  laddies!  look  there!" 
raising  and  pointing  with  both  sticks  and  the 

179 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rashers  of  bacon  towards  the  reed-grass  behind 
us. 

There  in  its  very  edge  sat  Mistress  Vic,  wink 
ing  her  eyes  and  twitching  her  ears  deprecatingly, 
plainly  in  doubt  as  to  her  reception. 

"Stop,  boys!  keep  quiet!"  I  said,  to  prevent 
a  movement  in  her  direction.  "Vic,  you  bad 
girl,  how  dared  you  follow  me?" 

No  reply,  only  a  slow  closing  and  opening  of 
the  eyes  and  an  accompanying  forward  and  back 
ward  movement  of  the  ears. 

"Go  home!    Go!" 

The  setter  rose,  dropped  her  head,  and,  turn 
ing  dejectedly,  disappeared  with  drooping  tail 
into  the  tall  grass.  Both  boys  exclaimed  at 
once: 

"  Don't  drive  her  off,  sir!     Poor  little  Vic!" 

"Well,  go  and  see  if  you  can  coax  her  back. 
If  she  returns  with  you  she  may  go  to  La  Paz." 

The  boys  ran  eagerly  into  the  grass,  and  soon 
I  heard  them  soothing  and  pitying  the  dog, 
telling  her  that  it  was  all  right,  and  that  she 
could  go.  But  it  was  evident  she  doubted  their 
authority  to  speak  for  me,  for  Henry  presently 
came  running  towards  me. 

180 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"She  won't  come,  sir.  Keeps  moving  slowly 
back  in  the  direction  of  the  fort.  She  looks  so 
sorry  and  so  tired.  Only  think  how  badly  she 
feels,  and  it  is  a  long  distance  to  Whipple! 
Can't  she  stay  with  us  until  morning?" 

"Then  she  will  not  come  with  you?" 

"No.  She  is  your  dog,  and  knows  it.  She 
never  disobeys  you." 

"But  she  followed  me  here;  that  looks  very 
much  like  disobedience." 

"  But  you  did  not  tell  her  not  to  come." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right.  I  forgot  to  tell  her 
to  stay." 

"And  she  did  not  hear  you  tell  the  corporal 
to  tie  her,  sir.  You  told  him  in  your  room,  and 
she  was  outside." 

"  Then  you  think  she  is  not  to  blame  for  fol 
lowing  us?" 

"  Of  course  not.  She's  a  military  dog,  and  al 
ways  obeys  orders." 

"  But  how  guilty  she  looked." 

"  It  was  not  guilt  made  her  look  so,  sir;  it  was 
disappointment." 

"Yes,  I  think  you  are  right,  Henry.  I'll  let 
her  go  with  us.  Let  us  try  an  experiment,  and 

181 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

see  if  she  understands  ordinary  conversation. 
You  know  some  people  think  dogs  do." 

"  Yes,  sir;  I  know  Vic  does." 

"I'll  speak  to  her  without  altering  my  tone 
of  voice.  Now  watch.  '  Here,  Vicky,  little  girl, 
it's  all  right;  you  may  go  with  us."1 

Out  of  the  reeds,  bounding  in  an  ecstasy  of 
delight,  came  Vic.  She  sprang  about  me,  then 
about  the  boys,  the  soldiers,  and  animals,  and 
then  approaching  the  fire,  sat  down  and  looked 
wistfully  at  the  rashers  of  bacon  Clary  was  still 
broiling.  It  was  settled  in  her  dog  mind  that  she 
was  now  a  recognized  member  of  our  party. 

We  resumed  our  journey  with  the  first  break 
of  dawn  and  rode  to  Skull  Valley.  The  first  sec 
tion  of  the  road  passed  through  a  rough,  moun 
tainous,  and  wooded  country;  but  at  the  end 
of  thirteen  miles  it  entered  a  level  valley,  which 
gradually  broadened  into  a  wide  plain  that  had 
been  taken  up  by  settlers  for  farms  and  cattle 
ranges.  Being  well  acquainted,  I  made  several 
calls  at  the  log -cabins  which  skirted  the  road. 
At  the  Arnold  house  we  were  made  very  wel 
come,  and  after  a  generous  dinner  were  escort 
ed  through  the  house  and  stables  by  the  entire 

182 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

family.  I  had  visited  the  valley  many  times 
when  on  scouting  or  escort  duty,  and  had  seen 
the  Arnold  cabins  gradually  substituted  for  their 
tents,  and  their  acres  slowly  redeemed  from  graz 
ing  ground  to  cultivated  fields ;  but  since  my  last 
visit  Mr.  Arnold  had  adopted  an  ingenious  means 
of  defence  in  case  of  an  Indian  attack. 

The  house  and  stables  from  the  first  had  been 
provided  with  heavy  shutters  for  windows  and 
doorways,  and  loop-holes  for  fire-arms  had  been 
made  at  regular  four-foot  intervals.  These  the 
proprietor  had  not  considered  ample,  and  had 
constructed,  twenty  yards  from  the  house,  an 
ingenious  earthwork  which  could  be  entered  by 
means  of  a  subterranean  passage  from  the  cellar. 
This  miniature  fort  was  in  the  form  of  a  circular 
pit,  sunk  four  feet  and  a  half  in  the  ground,  and 
covered  by  a  nearly  flat  roof,  the  edges  or  eaves 
of  which  were  but  a  foot  and  a  half  above  the 
surface  of  the  earth.  In  the  space  between  the 
surface  and  the  eaves  were  loop-holes.  The  roof 
was  of  heavy  pine  timber,  closely  joined,  sloping 
upward  slightly  from  circumference  to  centre, 
and  covered  with  two  feet  of  tamped  earth.  To 
obtain  water,  a  second  covered  way  led  from  the 

183 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

earthwork  to  a  spring  fifty  yards  distant,  the 
outer  entrance  being  concealed  in  a  rocky  nook 
screened  in  a  thick  clump  of  willows. 

As  we  were  climbing  into  our  ambulance,  pre 
paratory  to  resuming  our  journey,  Brenda  said : 

"  If  you  had  reached  here  three  hours  earlier 
you  might  have  had  the  company  of  two  gentle 
men  who  are  riding  to  La  Paz." 

' '  Sorry  I  did  not  meet  them .    Who  were  they  ?' ' 

"  Mr.  Sage  and  Mr.  Bell  from  Prescott.  They 
are  going  to  purchase  goods  for  their  stores ;  and 
that  reminds  me  that  not  one  of  you  has  men 
tioned  the  object  of  this  journey  of  yours." 

"That  is  really  so,"  I  replied.  "You  have 
made  every  minute  of  our  call  so  interesting  in 
showing  us  your  improvements  and  the  fort,  and 
in  doing  the  hospitable,  that  we  have  not  thought 
of  ourselves.  Frank,  tell  her  about  the  ponies." 

Sergeant  Frank,  aided  by  Sergeant  Henry, 
told  in  full  of  the  loss  of  their  animals,  and  said 
we  intended  to  try  to  capture  Texas  Dick  and 
Juan  Brincos  and  recover  Sancho  and  Chiquita. 

At  the  end  of  the  boys'  story,  Brenda  asked: 
"  The  thieves  were  a  Mexican  and  an  American?" 

"Yes." 

184 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"The  American  had  a  scar  on  the  bridge  of 
his  nose,  and  the  Mexican  had  lost  his  front 
teeth?" 

"Exactly.  What  do  you  know  about  them, 
Brenda?" 

"  They  were  here,  but  I  did  not  see  their  ponies 
nearer  than  the  stable ;  they  were  black  and  cream 
color.  The  Mexican  traded  saddles  with  uncle. 
You'll  find  the  one  he  left  in  the  lean-to,  on  a  peg 
beside  the  door." 

Both  boys  leaped  to  the  ground  and  ran  round 
the  house  to  the  lean-to,  and  presently  returned 
with  Henry's  neat  McClellan  saddle.  It  had  been 
stripped  of  its  pouches  and  small  straps,  but  was 
otherwise  unharmed. 

"Well,  when  I  come  back  with  Chiquita,  Mr. 
Arnold,  I'd  like  to  trade  saddles." 

"All  right,  youngkett,  I'll  trade,  or  you  can 
take  it  now,  and  welcome,"  replied  the  ranch 
man. 

"No;  I'll  leave  it  until  I  return." 

The  saddle  was  taken  back  to  the  lean-to,  and 

after  a  few  more  words  of  leave-taking  we  started 

up  the  valley.     A  few  miles  of  rapid  travelling 

brought  us  to  a  steep  ascent  into  a  mountainous 

185 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

range  to  the  right.  We  had  proceeded  but  a 
short  distance  through  a  narrow  and  rugged 
roadway  when  we  were  overtaken  by  the  mili 
tary  expressman  whom  we  had  left  at  Fort  Whip- 
pie.  He  had  come  from  Prescott  to  Skull  Valley 
by  a  short  cut. 

"  I  have  a  letter  for  you,  lieutenant,"  said  he, 
approaching  the  ambulance. 

Unfastening  the  mail -pouch,  he  turned  its 
contents  upon  the  back  seat.  A  heap  of  loose 
letters  and  three  well-worn  books  strewed  them 
selves  over  the  cushion.  Frank  picked  up  the 
books  and  examined  their  titles. 

"Xenophon's  Memorabilia,  Euripides'  Alces- 
tis  and  Medea,  and  a  Greek  grammar!"  exclaim 
ed  the  astonished  youngster.  "What  are  you 
doing  with  these  college  text-books  on  the  La 
Paz  trail?" 

"  Making  up  conditions,"  replied  the  courier,  a 
blush  deepening  the  brown  of  his  face. 

"What  are  conditions?"  asked  Henry. 

"  Oh,  blissful  ignorance !   Why  was  I  not  spared 

the  task  of  enlightening  it?"  answered  the  courier. 

"Conditions  are  stumbling-blocks  placed  in  the 

way  of  successful  trackmen,  football  players,  and 

186 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rowing  men  by  non  -  appreciative  and  envious 
professors." 

"'Joseph  Gould  Hudson,  University  of  Yal- 
vard,'  "  read  Frank  from  the  fly-leaf  of  the  Mem 
orabilia.  "  Is  that  your  name,  Mr.  Hudson?" 

"  I'm  so  borne  on  the  Yalvard  catalogue." 

"Please  explain,  Mr.  Hudson,"  I  said,  "how 
a  college  boy  happens  to  be  in  Arizona  running 
the  gantlet  of  this  mail -route  and  making  up 
conditions  in  Greek?" 

"  I  was  stroke  in  the  crew  that  won  the  cham 
pionship  for  Yalvard  at  New  London  one  year 
ago,  and  got  behind  in  these.  I  was  conditioned, 
and  being  ashamed  to  face  an  angry  father, 
struck  out  for  myself  on  the  Pacific  coast.  I 
drifted  about  from  mining-camp  to  cattle-range 
until  I  was  dead  broke ;  this  place  offered,  and  I 
took  it  because  I  could  find  nothing  else.  I've 
had  lots  of  opportunities  for  reflection  on  the 
Xuacaxella.  I'm  the  repentant  prodigal  going 
home  to  his  father." 

"Oh,  you  are  no  prodigal,  Mr.  Hudson,"  ob 
served  Henry.  "We've  heard  all  about  you; 
you  are  too  brave." 

"Thank  you,  Sergeant  Henry.  No,  I've  not 
187 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

wasted  my  substance  in  riotous  living,  nor  have 
I  eaten  husks,  but  I've  been  prodigal  in  wasting 
opportunities." 

"Lost  a  whole  college  year,  haven't  you?"  I 
asked. 

"I  hope  not.  There  is  a  German  university 
man  at  La  Paz  who  has  been  coaching  me.  He 
thinks  if  I  keep  at  work  until  after  Christmas 
I  can  go  on  with  my  old  class.  This  is  my  last 
trip,  and  if  I  escape  the  Apaches  once  more  I'm 
going  to  lay  off  and  work  hard  for  a  few  months, 
and  then  return  to  New  Havbridge  for  examina 
tion.  There's  something  in  that  letter  that  con 
cerns  me." 

Opening  the  letter,  I  learned  that  Captain 
Bayard  knew  Mr.  Hudson's  story.  He  said  this 
was  to  be  the  last  trip  of  the  courier,  but  that 
after  his  return  to  La  Paz  he  would  come  out  to 
meet  me  at  Tyson's  Wells  and  report  whether 
the  horse- thieves  were  in  town.  He  also  sug 
gested  that  in  establishing  a  transshipment  store 
house  at  the  steamboat-landing  I  place  Hudson 
in  charge.  The  pay  would  be  of  use  to  him  while 
"making  up." 

The  courier  wished  us  a  pleasant  journey,  and 
188 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rode  away  at  a  scrambling  canter  up  the  pass. 
He  had  been  gone  but  a  few  moments  when  I 
heard  a  shout,  and,  looking  up,  saw  him  stand 
ing  on  a  pinnacle  by  the  way-side,  on  the  summit 
of  the  ascent.  He  was  looking  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  I  saw  him  fire  three  shots  from  his 
carbine  in  rapid  succession.  Dismounting  the 
men,  I  made  rapid  preparations  to  meet  an  at 
tack,  and  proceeded  to  work  our  way  slowly  up 
the  height,  and  when  we  reached  the  narrow 
level  at  the  top  we  found  Hudson  and  the  two 
soldiers  that  formed  our  advance  occupying  a 
shelter  among  the  rocks  to  the  left,  and  gazing 
down  the  opposite  slope. 

"What  is  it,  Hudson?"  I  asked. 

"A  party  of  Indians  attempted  to  jump  me 
here.  There  they  go  now — across  that  opening 
in  the  sage-brush!" 

A  dozen  Indians  dashed  across  an  open  space 
south  of  the  road,  but  too  far  away  for  effective 
shooting,  and  then  two  more  passed  over,  sup 
porting  a  third  between  them. 

"You  must  have  hit  one  of  them." 

"  I  tried  to.  I  think  another  was  hurt  more 
seriously,  by  the  way  he  acknowledged  my  shot." 
189 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Are  you  hurt?" 

"  A  slight  scratch  on  the  arm  near  the  shoulder, 
and  my  horse  is  hurt." 

An  examination  of  Hudson's  arm  proved  that 
the  scratch  was  not  serious,  but  I  thought  it 
best  to  exchange  his  horse  for  one  belong 
ing  to  a  soldier.  We  then  went  on,  Frank 
and  I  walking  in  advance  of  the  ambulance 
mules. 

"There's  something  down  there  in  the  road 
by  Ferrier's  grave,  sir,"  said  Corporal  Duffey. 
"  Looks  like  a  dead  man." 

"  Is  that  where  Ferrier  was  killed?"  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  was  in  command  of  the  detail  that 
came  here  to  look  him  up.  He  had  buiit  a  little 
stone  fort  on  that  knoll  up  yonder,  and  kept  the 
redskins  off  three  days.  He  kept  a  diary,  you  re 
member,  which  we  found.  He  killed  six  of  them, 
and  might  as  many  more,  but  he  couldn't  live 
without  sleep  or  food,  and  the  rascals  got  him. 
They  scattered  the  mail  in  shreds  for  miles  about 
here." 

"Who  was  Ferrier?"  Frank  asked. 

"He  was  a  discharged  California  volunteer, 
who  rode  the  express  before  Mr.  Hudson." 

190 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Do  you  think  Mr.  Hudson  knew  his  predeces 
sor  had  been  killed?" 

"Yes;  the  incident  was  much  talked  of  at  the 
time." 

We  were  nearing  the  object  in  the  road.  Sud 
denly  the  mules  caught  sight  of  it,  backed,  and 
crushed  the  ten-gallon  keg  under  the  axle  against 
a  bowlder  —  a  serious  mishap,  as  our  after  ex 
perience  will  show.  Walking  on,  we  came  to  the 
mutilated  bodies  of  two  men,  several  yards  apart, 
whom  we  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  to  be 
the  tradesmen  Bell  and  Sage.  With  axe,  bay 
onets,  and  tin  cups  we  dug  a  shallow  grave  be 
side  Ferrier's.  We  placed  the  bodies  side  by  side, 
and  heaped  a  pyramid  of  stones  above  them. 

The  courier  again  bade  us  good-bye,  and  we 
went  on.  The  rest  of  the  ride  through  the 
mountain  -  pass  was  accomplished  without  ad 
venture,  and  evening  found  us  encamped  at  Wil 
low  Springs.  The  boys  shot  a  few  quail  here,  of 
the  variety  known  as  the  California  quail,  distin 
guished  by  an  elegant  plume  of  six  feathers  on 
the  top  of  its  head.  Clary  broiled  them  for  break 
fast. 

The  road  on  the  following  day  was  so  rough 
191 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

that  for  much  of  the  way  we  were  unable  to  move 
faster  than  a  walk — the  slow  walk  of  draught  ani 
mals.  When  near  a  place  called  Soldiers'  Holes, 
on  account  of  some  rifle-pits  sunk  there,  the  cor 
poral  called  my  attention  to  a  pool  of  blood  in 
the  road. 

A  close  examination  led  us  to  believe  that  two 
men  had  fallen,  that  one  had  been  wounded, 
and  that  a  second  party  had  come  and  taken 
the  wounded  man  away.  The  locality  was  well 
adapted  for  a  surprise.  On  the  left  was  a  growth 
of  dense  shrubbery  extending  from  the  road  to 
the  foot  of  the  mountain- range.  On  the  opposite 
side  was  an  open  plain. 

We  were  moving  on  again,  when  Frank  re 
marked  : 

"There  seems  to  have  been  a  big  gathering 
of  Apaches  along  this  road." 

"Yes;  a  war-party  bent  on  mischief.  They 
have  struck  at  two  points,  and  I  fear  a  third- 
Date  Creek — may  have  been  attacked  by  this 
time.  That  is  where  we  are  to  pass  the  night." 
Then  turning  to  Corporal  Dufley,  I  continued: 
"The  road  from  here  to  the  creek  is  soft  and 
loamy,  and  we  are  not  likely  to  make  much 

192 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

noise ;  caution  the  men  to  be  quiet  and  not  show 
themselves  outside  the  track.  If  the  Indians  are 
at  the  ranch  it  will  be  best  for  us  to  appear  there 
unexpectedly." 

"Do  Indians  never  stand  up  like  white  men, 
and  fight?"  asked  the  younger  boy. 

"Frequently,  but  their  system  is  different  from 
ours ;  however,  our  latest  military  tactics  appear 
to  be  modelled  on  theirs." 

Although  this  section  of  our  journey  was  but 
twenty-five  miles  long,  our  rate  of  progress  had 
been  so  slow  that  the  day  was  nearly  closed 
when  we  came  in  sight  of  the  lines  of  cottonwoods 
that  bordered  Date  Creek.  We  turned  at  last 
sharply  to  the  left,  and  began  a  descent  through 
a  narrow  ravine  towards  the  creek.  We  were 
nearing  its  widening  mouth  when  a  half-dozen 
sharp  reports  of  fire-arms  broke  upon  our  ears. 
A  halt  was  ordered  and  the  men  directed  to  pre 
vent  the  animals  from  betraying  our  presence  by 
whinnying  or  braying.  Telling  Sergeant  Henry 
to  remain  behind  and  keep  Vic  with  him,  I  went 
in  advance  with  Sergeant  Frank. 

"What  do  you  think  is  going  on?"  asked  my 
companion,  as  several  more  reports  rang  out. 
13  193 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"What  I  feared;  the  Apaches  are  attacking 
the  men  who  went  out  to  bring  in  the  dead  and 
wounded  men  at  Soldiers'  Holes." 

"And  if  Mr.  Hudson  was  not  the  wounded 
man  there,  I  suppose  he  is  sure  to  be  in  this 
scrape.  Why  not  rush  in  with  the  escort  and 
frighten  them  away?" 

"  They  may  be  too  many  for  us,"  I  answered, 
"and  it  will  be  prudent  to  learn  the  situation 
at  the  ranch  before  we  go  nearer.  I  want  to  join 
the  white  men  without  the  Indians'  knowledge, 
if  possible." 

"  If  Mr.  Hudson  is  not  dead,  he  must  know  we 
are  here." 

"He  may  be  there,  and  the  men  may  know 
we  are  on  the  road,  but  it  certainly  does  not  look 
like  it." 

"Can't  Vic  be  sent  with  a  message?" 

"  No;  she  will  not  take  a  message  to  a  stran- 
ger." 

We  had  now  reached  a  point  from  which  we 
could  see  a  log  cabin,  a  stable,  and  an  open  shed 
or  tool -house.  On  the  side  of  the  buildings 
towards  us,  as  if  screening  themselves  from  an 
enemy  in  the  opposite  direction,  were  a  few  men. 

194 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  If  you  would  like  me  to,  sir,  I  can  crawl  to 
the  house  without  being  seen,"  said  Frank. 
"That  cart,  wagon,  oven,  and  stack  will  screen 
me." 

"Yes,  you  can  do  it  easily.  Tell  Mr.  Hopkins 
that  we  are  here — seventeen,  counting  you  two 
boys — and  to  make  no  demonstration  when  we 
close  up.  I  will  explain  a  plan  to  him  which,  I 
think,  will  enable  us  to  teach  the  Apaches  a  les 
son.  If  you  find  Mr.  Hudson  there,  tell  him  to 
show  himself  at  a  window  or  door." 


XIII 

THE  BOY  SERGEANTS  DO  GOOD  SERVICE 

FRANK  dropped  flat  upon  the  earth  and  worked 
his  way  to  the  cabin  without  being  seen.  In 
stantly  I  received  a  signal  from  Mr.  Hopkins 
through  a  back  window,  and  a  moment  later  Mr. 
Hudson  looked  out  of  a  back  door  and  raised  his 
hat.  I  was  glad  to  see  that  his  college  career 
was  still  a  possibility. 

Hurrying  back  to  the  ambulance,  I  caused  the 
animals  to  be  grouped  in  charge  of  the  driver 
and  two  soldiers,  and  with  the  rest  of  the  de 
tail  moved  in  the  direction  of  the  ranch 
buildings. 

It  had  become  so  dark  that  we  might  possibly 
have  passed  over  the  open  space  without  being 
seen,  but,  for  fear  of  accidents,  we  covered  it,  as 
Frank  had  done,  on  all  fours.  The  first  persons 
I  met  when  I  rose  to  a  vertical  position  were 
Hudson  and  Frank,  who  took  me  to  Mr.  Hop- 
196 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

kins.  The  ranchman  greeted  me  with  the  assur 
ance  that  the  arrival  of  my  party  was  a  godsend, 
and  had  probably  saved  their  scalps. 

I  learned  that  the  men  at  Date  Creek,  includ 
ing  the  mail-carrier,  numbered  seven ;  that  three 
were  in  the  stable  and  four  in  the  house.  These 
buildings  were  the  same  distance  from  the  stream, 
and  fifty  feet  apart.  The  bank  of  the  creek  was 
perpendicular  for  a  mile  either  way,  standing 
fully  twelve  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water ; 
but  there  was  a  notch  with  a  sloping  descent, 
midway  between  the  buildings,  down  which  the 
live-stock  was  driven  to  water.  This  slope  of 
fered  the  only  practicable  point  of  attack,  un 
less  the  Indians  chose  to  move  by  one  of  our 
flanks  over  a  long  level. 

Mr.  Hopkins  said  he  had  crept  out  to  the 
shrubbery  on  the  edge  of  the  precipitous  river- 
bank,  to  the  left  of  the  slope,  just  before  my  ar 
rival,  and  had  seen  on  the  opposite  shore  a 
small  party  of  men  moving  through  the  willow 
branches  towards  our  left.  He  believed  it  was 
a  flanking-party,  intending  to  make  a  feint  from 
that  direction  and  enable  the  main  body  to 
charge  through  the  notch  in  the  bank.  Believ- 

197 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ing  the  repelling  force  to  be  but  seven,  the  Ind 
ians  were  quite  sure  of  success. 

I  was  convinced  that  Mr.  Hopkins' s  inferences 
were  correct ;  but  in  order  that  no  mistake  should 
be  made,  I  sent  two  veterans  in  frontier  service, 
Privates  Clary  and  Hoey,  to  reconnoitre  both 
flanks.  They  were  gone  half  an  hour,  and  re 
turned  with  the  information  that  no  demonstra 
tion  was  being  made  towards  our  right,  but  that 
a  dozen  or  more  men  had  gathered  on  the  oppo 
site  shore,  at  a  point  where  they  could  cross  and 
turn  our  left  flank. 

Preparations  to  meet  this  movement  were  be 
gun  at  once.  Sergeant  Frank  was  sent  to  the 
ambulance  with  orders  for  the  men  in  charge  to 
bring  in  the  animals,  two  at  a  time,  and  fasten 
them  in  the  rear  of  the  stable  and  stack.  This 
was  easily  accomplished  in  the  darkness.  The 
ambulance  was  left  in  charge  of  Vic. 

While  this  was  going  on,  and  I  was  overlooking 
the  construction  of  rifle-shelters  on  the  flanks, 
Sergeant  Henry  approached  and  asked  if  he  could 
not  be  of  some  use.  Something  in  the  tone  of 
the  boy's  voice  showed  me  he  felt  he  had  been 
neglected,  while  his  brother  had  been  kept  busy. 

198 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"What  would  you  like  to  do?"  I  asked. 

"Does  a  soldier  choose  his  duty,  sir?"  was  the 
reply,  uttered  with  some  dignity. 

"Not  usually,  sergeant,  it  is  true.  I  have  a 
very  important  thing  for  you  to  do — something 
for  which  I  was  intending  to  look  you  up.  Go 
and  find  Private  Clary,  and  tell  him  to  help  you 
carry  several  armfuls  of  hay  from  the  stack  to 
the  right  of  the  slope.  Make  a  heap,  so  that 
when  it  is  lighted  it  will  illuminate  the  approach 
from  the  creek.  Ask  Mr.  Hopkins  if  he  has  any 
kerosene  or  other  inflammable  stuff  to  sprinkle 
on  the  hay  and  make  it  flash  up  quickly  and  burn 
brilliantly.  Then  throw  up  a  shelter  in  which 
you  can  lie  and  be  ready  to  light  the  hay  when 
signalled." 

"Yes,  sir.  Thank  you.  I'll  attend  to  every 
thing." 

Not  more  than  fifteen  minutes  had  elapsed 
when  the  boy  sergeant  returned  and  informed 
me  that  the  bundle  of  hay  was  prepared  and  a 
shelter  constructed. 

"Mr.  Hopkins  has  two  gallons  of  axle-grease 
and  two  quarts  of  spirits  of  turpentine." 

"  Excellent.  Mix  them  together  and  sprinkle 
199 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  hay  thoroughly.  Then  place  yourself  in  the 
shelter,  and  when  you  see  a  light  flash  from  the 
west  window  of  the  house  light  your  bonfire." 

"  I'll  do  so,  sir,"  and  the  boy  ran  away  in  the 
darkness. 

An  hour  had  passed  when  loud  whoops  gave  us 
warning  of  the  enemy's  approach.  It  was  the 
war-cry  of  the  terrible  Apaches.  Not  a  sound 
came  from  the  creek.  I  strained  my  eyes  in 
that  direction,  but  nothing  was  visible  in  the 
black  darkness  beneath  the  pendulous  branches 
of  the  willows. 

At  last  I  saw  the  fixed  reflections  of  the  stars 
in  the  surface  of  the  pool  diffuse  themselves  into 
myriads  of  sparkling  atoms.  A  considerable 
body  of  Indians  must  be  in  the  water,  but  none 
appeared  in  sight.  Yes,  they  were  crossing  in 
two  columns,  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  notch, 
concealed  by  the  high  shore,  and  would  shortly 
unite  and  charge  up  the  slope.  Baldwin  ran  to 
the  stable  to  tell  the  men  there  that  the  Apaches 
were  coming,  and  to  be  on  the  alert. 

The  whoops  of  the  flanking  party  redoubled, 
and  were  accompanied  by  a  desultory  firing, 
which  the  four  men  opposing  them  answered  in 

200 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  same  way.  Then  I  saw  the  sparkling  water 
of  the  pool  cut  off  from  my  sight,  and  knew  that 
a  body  of  men  stood  on  the  slope  between  us  and 
the  creek. 

"Frank,  show  the  light!     Men,  ready!" 

The  lantern  flashed  from  the  window,  quickly 
answered  by  a  flash  on  the  bank,  and  a  mass  of 
red  flame  threw  its  luminous  tresses  skyward, 
bathing  the  whole  scene  in  light.  In  the  notch, 
half-way  up  the  slope,  stood  a  momentarily  par 
alyzed  group  of  nearly  a  hundred  painted  war 
riors.  Every  rifle  in  the  hands  of  the  white  men 
in  the  two  buildings  spoke,  and  instantly  the 
notch  emptied  itself  pell-mell  of  its  living  throng. 
Only  a  few  prostrate  bodies  showed  the  Apaches 
had  been  there. 

With  the  discharge  of  fire-arms  a  silence  im 
mediately  fell  upon  the  scene,  in  marked  con 
trast  to  the  shrieking  and  yelling  of  a  moment 
before.  The  bonfire  burned  low,  and  went  out. 
Once  more  we  were  in  darkness. 

We  believed  the  Indians  would  make  no  fur 
ther  demonstration,  and  an  hour  later  a  scouting 
party  ascertained  that  they  had  gathered  their 
dead  and  departed.  Sentinels  were  posted,  the 

201 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ambulance  run  in  by  hand,  the  stock  fed,  and  a 
midnight  meal  cooked. 

While  sitting  by  the  camp-fire,  listening  to  the 
sizzling  of  the  bacon  and  sniffing  the  aroma  of 
the  coffee,  Mr.  Hopkins  introduced  me  to  his 
men  and  guests,  and  I  heard  an  explanation  of 
the  tracks  and  blood  at  Soldiers'  Holes. 

Early  that  morning  three  gentlemen,  who  had 
passed  the  night  at  the  ranch,  started  for  Pres- 
cott.  They  were  a  Mr.  Gray,  a  Scotch  merchant 
at  La  Paz;  Mr.  Hamilton,  a  lawyer  of  the  same 
place;  and  a  Mr.  Rosenberg,  a  freighter.  When 
near  the  Holes,  Mr.  Hamilton,  who  was  riding  in 
advance,  was  shot  by  Indians  concealed  in  the 
sage-brush.  Mr.  Rosenberg's  mule  was  wound 
ed,  and  plunged  so  that  his  rider  fell  to  the 
ground.  Mr.  Gray,  seeing  the  plight  of  the 
freighter,  rode  to  his  side,  seized  him  by  the 
collar,  and  aided  him  to  leap  to  a  seat  behind 
him. 

It  is  probable  that  this  act  of  generous  daring 
might  have  ended  in  the  death  of  both  men  but 
for  a  diversion  caused  by  the  sudden  and  unex 
pected  appearance  of  the  military  expressman. 
He  came  up  a  slope  from  a  lower  level,  and,  tak- 

202 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ing  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  let  fly  three  shots 
from  his  breech-loading  carbine  that  caused  the 
Indians  to  lie  low.  The  three  men  rode  to  the 
ranch,  and  Mr.  Hopkins  and  his  three  work 
men  accompanied  them  to  bring  in  the  body 
of  Mr.  Hamilton.  The  Indians  did  not  begin 
to  concentrate  at  the  creek  until  after  the 
burial. 

Supper  being  over,  the  boys  and  I  were  getting 
into  our  blankets  for  the  rest  of  the  night,  when 
Mr.  Hudson,  who  had  been  preparing  to  depart, 
came  to  bid  us  good-bye. 

"  I  seem  to  take  frequent  leave  of  you,  these 
times,  lieutenant,"  he  said. 

"  Yes ;  and  your  farewell  ride  with  the  Whipple 
mail  so  far  seems  to  have  been  anything  but 
monotonous.  I  think  the  Anabasis  would  be  a 
more  suitable  subject  of  study  on  this  route  than 
the  Memorabilia.1' 

" '  Hence  they  proceeded  one  day's  journey,  a 
distance  of  five  parasangs,  and  fell  in  with  the 
barbarians,'  might  well  be  said  of  this  trip,  for  a 
fact." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  travel  with  me  the  rest  of 
the  way?" 

203 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  I  think  we  have  seen  the  last  of  the  Apaches. 
They  do  not  range  south  and  west  of  here.  Good 
bye,  sir." 

"Good-bye,  until  we  meet  at  Tyson's  Wells." 

The  next  morning,  when  the  boys,  Vic,  and 
I  were  taking  our  places  in  the  ambulance,  Mr. 
Hopkins  and  his  men,  Mr.  Gray  and  Mr.  Rosen 
berg,  approached  us  mounted.  They  informed 
me  that  they  were  going  to  La  Paz. 

"  The  Ingins  are  gettin'  a  little  too  thick  here," 
observed  the  ranchman.  "I  find  it  diffikilt  to 
git  proper  rest  after  a  hard  day's  work.  Think 
I'll  stay  away  until  Uncle  Sam's  boys  thin  'em 
out  a  little  more." 

"  Can  I  obtain  a  five  or  ten  gallon  keg  of  you, 
Mr.  Hopkins?"  I  asked.  "  Ours  was  accidentally 
smashed  on  the  road." 

"  Haven't  a  keg  to  my  name,  lieutenant.  One 
way  'n'  ernuther  all's  been  smashed,  give  away, 
or  lent." 

The  ride  from  the  ranch  to  the  edge  of  the 
desert  plain  was  twelve  miles,  a  portion  of  it 
over  a  rugged  ridge.  To  the  point  where  we 
were  to  ford  the  creek  was  two  miles,  and  there 
the  hired  men,  pack  -  mules,  and  ranch  cattle 

204 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

turned  off  on  the  Bill  Williams  Fork  route  to  the 
Rio  Colorado. 

Once  on  the  level  of  the  Xuacaxella  our  team 
broke  into  a  brisk  trot,  and  we  rolled  along  with 
a  fair  prospect  of  soon  crossing  the  one  hundred 
miles  between  Date  Creek  and  La  Paz.  Messrs. 
Gray,  Rosenberg,  and  Hopkins  shortly  turned 
into  a  bridle-path  which  led  into  a  mine.  Before 
taking  leave  of  us  Mr.  Gray  told  me  that  my 
camping-place  for  the  night  would  be  at  the 
point  of  the  third  mountain-spur  which  jutted 
into  the  plain  from  the  western  range. 

We  had  not  travelled  long  before  we  realized 
our  misfortune  in  having  smashed  our  water- 
keg.  Each  individual  in  our  party  possessed  a 
three-pint  army  canteen,  which  had  been  filled 
when  we  forded  the  creek  in  the  early  dawn. 
These  were  to  last  us  until  evening,  through  an 
exceedingly  sultry  day.  Frank,  Henry,  and  I 
did  our  best  to  overcome  our  desire  for  water, 
but  the  younger  boy  could  not  refuse  the  appeals 
of  Vic,  when  she  looked  up  with  lolling  tongue 
and  beseeching  eyes  to  the  canteens. 

The  men  were  the  greatest  sufferers,  unless  I 
except  their  horses.  Long  before  mid-day  their 

205 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

canteens  were  empty  and  their  mouths  so  dry 
that  articulation  was  difficult  and  they  rarely 
spoke. 

At  five  we  arrived  opposite  the  third  spur, 
where  we  found  a  wand  sticking  in  the  ground 
and  holding  in  its  cleft  end  a  slip  of  paper.  It 
proved  to  be  a  note  from  Mr.  Hudson,  saying 
that  this  was  the  place  to  camp,  and  the  Black 
Tanks  were  on  the  southern  side  of  the  spur, 
three  miles  distant. 

In  a  few  minutes,  with  the  horses  and  mules 
divested  of  saddles,  bridles,  and  harnesses,  leav 
ing  two  men  behind  to  guard  the  property  and 
collect  fuel  for  a  fire,  we  were  on  the  way  to 
water. 

Hurrying  along,  we  saw  before  us  a  long, 
irregular  range,  apparently  three  thousand  feet 
in  height,  which  had  been  cleft  from  summit  to 
base  as  if  by  a  wedge.  In  this  rent  we  found 
water — water  deposited  in  a  natural  reservoir  by 
the  periodical  rainfalls  in  millions  of  gallons,  a 
reservoir  never  known  to  be  dry. 

Climbing  over  the  dike  which  enclosed  the 
main  deposit,  we  descended  to  the  cistern,  filled 
our  cups,  and  swallowed  the  contents  without 
206 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

taking  a  breath.  When  we  dipped  up  a  second, 
Tom  Clary  looked  into  the  depths  of  his  cup  with 
knitted  brows. 

"Whist,  now,  sergeant  laddies!"  he  exclaimed. 
"  Look  into  the  wather !  It's  aloive  with  wigglers 
of  ivery  variety.  They're  's  plinty  as  pays  in  a 
soup." 

"  Ugh!  And  we  are  full  of  them,  too,  Tom," 
said  Henry,  looking  into  his  cup  with  narrow- 
eyed  anxiety.  < 

Pausing  in  the  act  of  taking  a  second  drink, 
I  looked  into  my  cup,  and  saw  that  it  contained 
myriads  of  animalcula  and  larvae,  which  zig 
zagged  from  side  to  side  in  the  liveliest  manner. 

"Will  they  hurt  us,  Tom?"  questioned  Henry. 

"  I  rickon  they've  got  the  worst  of  it,  sergeant 
laddie;  but  I  think  I'd  fale  a  bit  aisier  if  I  was 
blindfolded  or  takin'  a  drink  in  the  dark.  I 
prefer  me  liquid  refrishment  with  a  little  less 
mate,  not  to  minshin  its  bein'  less  frisky." 

We  had  come  to  the  Cisternas  Negras  with 
towels,  intending  to  wash  off  the  dust  of  travel. 
We  now  used  one  of  them  to  strain  the  water, 
and  were  astonished  to  see  that  each  gallon  left 
behind  it  a  plump  spoonful  of  animalcula.  The 

207 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

water  was  sweet,  but,  after  discovering  the  abun 
dant  life  in  it,  we  deferred  drinking  more  of  it 
until  it  had  been  boiled. 

As  we  pursued  the  narrow  path  to  camp  in 
single  file,  we  noticed  Vic  a  considerable  distance 
to  the  right,  scouting  and  nosing  about  in  an 
earnest  manner.  Evidently  she  thought  she  had 
made  an  important  discovery,  for  she  several 
times  paused  and  looked  in  our  direction  and 
barked.  But  we  were  too  hungry  to  investigate, 
and  soon  she  disappeared  from  our  view. 

When  we  reached  the  ambulance  the  boys  put 
a  few  cakes  of  hard  bread  in  their  pockets,  and, 
taking  their  shot-guns,  went  out  to  look  for  some 
"cottontails"  while  supper  was  being  prepared. 
Believing  we  were  well  out  of  the  range  of  hostile 
Indians,  I  did  not  object  to  their  going  alone. 
They  passed  a  considerable  distance  beyond  the 
growth  of  Cereus  giganteus,  over  a  level  stretch 
covered  with  knee-high  bunch-grass  and  desert 
weeds,  without  seeing  a  hare.  Pausing  on  the 
brink  of  a  shoal,  dry  ravine,  they  stood  side  by 
side,  and  rested  the  butts  of  their  guns  upon  the 
ground.  Just  then  a  shout  of  "  Supper !  supper !" 
came  from  the  group  at  the  camp-fire. 
208 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Hate  to  go  back  without  anything,"  said 
Frank,  so  I  afterwards  heard.  "Strange  we 
can't  see  a  rabbit  now,  when  we  saw  dozens  on 
the  way  to  the  Tanks  " 

"That's  because  we  didn't  have  a  gun,"  said 
Henry. 

"You  don't  believe  the  rabbits  knew  we 
weren't  armed  then  and  know  we  are  now?" 

"Hunters  tell  bigger  stories  than  that  about 
'  Brer  Rabbit.'  Not  one  has  bobbed  up  since  we 
got  our  guns." 

Suddenly  from  the  flat  surface  of  the  plain,  not 
twenty  yards  from  where  the  boys  stood,  where 
nothing  but  bunch-grass  and  low  shrubbery  grew, 
sixteen  Indians  sprang  up  to  full  height,  like  so 
many  Jacks-in-a-box. 


XT'V 

ON  THE  DESERT  WITHOUT  WATER 

THE  boys  were  frightened.  Their  hearts 
leaped  into  their  throats,  and  it  was  difficult  for 
them  to  restrain  an  impulse  to  turn  and  run ;  but 
a  soldierly  instinct  brought  them  to  a  "ready," 
with  eyes  fixed  upon  the  probable  enemy. 

"Quick,  Henry!  shoot!"  exclaimed  Frank,  in 
tending  to  reserve  his  own  fire. 

The  younger  sergeant  raised  his  double-bar 
relled  shot-gun  to  his  shoulder  and  pulled  both 
triggers.  Down  went  the  sixteen  Indians  as  if 
the  bird-shot  had  been  fatal  to  all.  The  plain 
became  in  an  instant  as  objectless  as  it  was  a 
moment  before. 

"Load,  Henry,  and,  backward,  march!"  said 
Frank,  ready  to  fire  whenever  a  head  showed 
above  the  grass,  and  at  the  same  time  moving 
as  rapidly  as  possible  towards  the  camp-fire. 

" How!  how!  how!"  was  chorused  from  the  di- 

210 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rection  of  the  Indians,  and  several  naked  brown 
arms  were  stretched  upward,  holding  rifles  hori 
zontally  in  the  air. 

"  That  means  peace,"  said  Henry.  "They  aren't 
going  to  fire.  Let's  answer.  How!  how!  how!" 

"How!  how!  how!"  Frank  joined  in,  and  at 
once  the  sixteen  redmen  sprang  to  their  feet, 
apparently  none  the  worse  for  Henry's  double 
charge  of  bird-shot  at  short  range.  They  held 
their  weapons  above  their  heads,  and  continuing 
to  utter  their  friendly  "  How!"  rapidly  advanced 
towards  the  boys. 

"They  aren't  playing  us  a  trick,  are  they, 
Frank?"  asked  Henry,  in  an  anxious  tone. 

"No,"  replied  the  elder  boy,  after  snatching 
a  glance  to  the  rear.  "The  lieutenant  and  sol 
diers  are  saddling.  The  Indians  dare  not  harm 
us  on  an  open  plain  in  sight  of  a  mounted  force." 

The  boys  stopped,  and  the  redmen  came  up 
and  began  shaking  hands  in  a  most  friendly 
manner,  over  and  over  again,  repeating  "How!" 
many  times.  They  were  clad  in  loose  and  sleeve 
less  cotton  shirts,  all  ragged  and  dirty,  with  no 
other  clothing.  The  one  who  appeared  to  be 
chief  was  distinguished  by  the  possession  of  three 

211 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

shirts,  worn  one  above  the  other.  Each  man  pos 
sessed  several  hares  and  field-rats,  held  against 
his  waist  by  tucking  the  heads  under  his  belt. 

The  boy  sergeants  and  their  strange  guests 
reached  the  camp-fire,  and  the  hand-shaking  and 
exchange  of  amicable  civilities  went  on  for  some 
time.  The  chief  approached  me  and,  placing 
a  finger  on  one  of  my  shoulder-straps,  asked,  in 
mongrel  Spanish : 

"Usted  capitan?"    (Are  you  the  captain?) 

I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"Yo  capitan,  tambien;  mucho  grande  heap 
capitan."  (I'm  a  captain,  too ;  a  very  great  heap 
captain.) 

He  then  asked  where  we  were  from  and  where 
we  were  going,  and  informed  us  that  they  were 
Yavapais  on  a  hunting  expedition.  We  ex 
changed  hard  bread  with  them  for  a  few  cotton 
tails,  and  set  Clary  to  making  a  rabbit-stew,  the 
boys  and  I  deferring  our  supper  until  it  should 
be  ready. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Duncan,"  shouted  Henry  from  the 
direction  of  the  Indians,  a  few  moments  later, 
"come  and  see  what  these  creatures  are  doing!" 

I  left  the  ambulance  and  joined  the  group  of 
212 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

soldiers  who  stood  in  a  circle  about  an  inner 
circle  of  seated  Indians.  Each  Yavapai  had  se 
lected  a  rat  from  the  collection  in  his  belt,  and 
had  laid  it  on  the  coals  without  dressing  it  or  in 
any  way  disturbing  its  anatomy.  He  rolled  the 
rat  over  once  or  twice,  and  took  it  up  and  brushed 
and  blew  off  the  singed  hair.  He  placed  it  again 
on  the  coals  for  a  moment,  and,  taking  it  up, 
pinched  off  the  charred  fore  legs  close  to  the  body 
and  the  hind  legs  at  the  ham-joint.  Replacing 
it  on  the  fire,  he  turned  it  over  a  few  more  times. 
Picking  it  up  for  the  third  time,  he  held  it  dainti 
ly  in  the  palm  of  his  left  hand,  and  with  the  fin 
gers  of  his  right  plucked  off  the  flesh  and  put  it 
in  his  mouth. 

When  we  were  making  our  beds  ready  for  the 
night,  Vic,  whom  we  had  forgotten  in  the  excit 
ing  events  of  the  evening,  trotted  into  camp  and 
laid  a  horseshoe  in  Henry's  lap.  The  lad  took  it 
up,  and  exclaimed : 

"One  of  Chiquita's  shoes! — a  left  hind  shoe!" 

"How  do  you  know?"  I  asked. 

"  Private  Sattler  always  shaped  the  heel  of  the 
left  shoe  like  this,  to  correct  a  fault  in  her  gait." 

"May  I  look  at  the  shoe,  sergeant?"  asked 
213 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Corporal  Duffey,  approaching  from  the  group  of 
men  near  the  guard's  fire.  "  Shoes  are  like  hand 
writing — no  two  blacksmiths  make  them  alike. 
I  am  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  know  all 
the  shoes  made  by  the  smiths  of  our  regiment. 
This,"  examining  it,  "is  one  of  Sattler's.  He 
put  a  side-weight  on  it,  and  here  is  the  bevel- 
mark  of  his  hammer." 

"Then  our  ponies  have  certainly  passed  here, 
and  Vic  was  on  their  trail  when  we  saw  her  com 
ing  from  the  Tanks,"  remarked  Frank;  "but 
there  could  have  been  no  scent  after  so  long  a 
time." 

"Oh,  she  knows  Sancho's  and  Chiquita's 
tracks,"  asseverated  Henry;  "she  knows  their 
halters,  bridles,  and  will  bring  them  when  told 
to,  without  mistake." 

The  sentinel  awakened  us  next  morning  at  four 
o'clock,  and  informed  us  that  the  Indians  had  left 
two  hours  before.  The  animals  were  again  driven 
to  the  Tanks,  the  vessels  and  canteens  filled,  and 
at  six  o'clock  we  were  on  the  road.  Nearly  all 
our  water  was  used  in  the  preparation  of  break 
fast,  except  that  in  the  canteens.  It  would  have 
been  better  if  we  had  made  a  third  trip  to  the 

214 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

cisterns  and  refilled  our  coffee-pot  and  camp- 
kettles;  but  the  delay  necessary  to  do  it,  and 
the  assurance  that  there  was  water  at  Hole-in- 
the-Plain,  determined  me  to  go  on  at  once.  The 
weather  was  a  repetition  of  that  of  the  previous 
day — hot  and  windless. 

The  road  proved  generally  smooth,  but  there 
were  occasional  long  stretches  over  which  it  was 
impossible  to  drive  faster  than  a  walk.  About 
four  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Hole-in-the- 
Plain,  and  found  nothing  but  a  few  hundred 
square  yards  of  thin  mud.  The  fierce  rays  of 
the  sun  had  nearly  evaporated  every  vestige  of 
the  recent  rainfall,  and  in  twenty-four  hours 
more  the  mud  would  be  baked  earth. 

Vic,  consumed  with  thirst  and  suffering  in  the 
extreme  heat,  waded  into  the  mud  and  rolled  in 
it  until  she  was  the  color  of  a  fresh  adobe,  and 
was,  in  consequence,  made  to  ride  thereafter  in 
disgrace  on  the  driver's  foot-board. 

We  had  intended  to  pass  the  night  at  the  Hole, 
but  want  of  water  compelled  us  to  move  on. 
Very  gloomy  and  doubtful  of  the  outcome,  we 
left  the  Hole-in-the-Plain.  We  were  toiling  slow 
ly  up  a  slope,  nearly  a  dozen  miles  on  this  third 

215 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

stage  of  the  desert  route,  when  a  horseman  over 
took  us,  who  proved  to  be  Mr.  Gray.  He  slowed 
up,  listened  to  my  account  of  our  perplexities, 
and  after  saying  many  hopeful  and  cheering 
things,  telling  us  that  Tyson's  Wells  were  now 
not  far  ahead,  he  galloped  swiftly  away  in  the 
darkness. 

At  midnight  the  road  ascended  to  a  consider 
ably  higher  level  and  became  suddenly  hard  and 
smooth.  The  driver  urged  the  team  into  a  series 
of  brief  and  spasmodic  trots,  which  lasted  a 
couple  of  hours,  when  we  again  descended  to  a 
lower  level,  where  the  wearily  slow  gait  was  re 
sumed.  With  the  slower  pace  our  spirits  fell  and 
our  thirst  increased.  As  Private  Tom  Clary  ex 
pressed  it  to  the  driver: 

"  In  a  place  like  this  a  gallon  of  Black  Tanks 
water  would  be  acciptible  without  a  strainer, 
and  no  refactions  passed  upon  the  wigglers." 

"That's  so,  Tom,"  called  Henry,  from  the 
depths  of  his  blankets ;  "  I  could  drink  two  quarts 
of  it— half  and  half." 

"  Half  and  half — what  do  you  mean?"  I  asked. 

"  Half  water  and  half  wigglers,"  was  the  an 
swer. 

216 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"I  thought  you  were  asleep." 

"Can't  sleep,  sir;  I'm  too  thirsty.  Did  drop 
off  once  for  two  or  three  minutes,  and  dreamed  of 
rivers,  waterfalls,  springs,  and  wells  that  I  could 
not  reach." 

"  I've  not  slept  at  all,"  said  Frank;  "just  been 
thinking  whether  I  ever  rode  over  a  mile  in  Ver 
mont  without  crossing  a  brook  or  passing  a  water 
ing-trough." 

"  It's  beginning  to  grow  light  in  the  east,"  ob 
served  the  driver.  "  By  the  time  we  reach  the 
top  of  the  next  roll  we  can  see  whether  we  are 
near  the  Wells." 

"You  may  stop  the  team,  Marr,"  said  I;  "we 
will  wait  for  the  escort  to  close  up." 

We  got  out  to  stretch  our  legs,  while  the  strag 
gling  soldiers  cicely  overtook  us.  The  man  on 
the  wounded  bronco  did  not  arrive  until  the 
edge  of  the  sun  peeped  above  the  horizon,  and 
I  ordered  him  to  remove  the  saddle  and  bridle, 
hitch  the  animal  behind  the  ambulance,  and  take 
a  seat  beside  the  driver. 

Just  when  we  were  about  to  start  again,  Frank 
asked  permission  to  run  ahead  with  the  field- 
glass  to  the  rising  ground  and  look  for  Tyson's 

217 


CAPTURED     BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Wells.  I  consented,  and  told  him  to  signal  us 
if  he  saw  them,  and  that  if  he  did  not  we  would 
halt,  turn  out,  and  send  the  least  worn  of  the 
escort  ahead  for  relief. 

Frank  started,  and  presently  disappeared  be 
hind  some  brush  at  a  turn  in  the  road.  An  in 
stant  later  he  shouted  and  screamed  at  the  top 
of  his  voice.  Whether  he  was  shouting  with  joy 
or  terror,  or  had  gone  out  of  his  senses,  we  were 
unable  to  guess.  It  sounded  like  "Who-o-o-op! 
water!  water!  water!" 

Had  the  boy  seen  a  mirage  and  gone  mad? 
We  could  see  nothing  but  the  broad  hollow 
about  us,  barren  and  dry  as  ever.  But  still  the 
boy  continued  to  shout,  "Water!  water!"  and 
presently  he  appeared  round  the  bend,  running 
and  holding  up  whc,c  appears!  to  be  a  letter. 
It  was  a  letter.  When  Prank  reached  the  am 
bulance  tears  were  in  his  eyes  as  he  handed  me 
a  yellow  envelope. 

"  Found  it  on  the  head  of  a  barrel  over  there, 
with  a  stone  on  it  to  prevent  it  from  blowing 
away." 

Breaking  open  the  envelope  with  trembling 
fingers,  I  read : 

218 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"TYSON'S  WELLS. 

"DEAR  LIEUTENANT. — Please  accept  four  barrels  of 
water  and  four  bushels  of  corn,  with  my  compliments. 

"GRAY." 

Need  I  confess  the  emotions  with  which  we 
realized  the  service  this  brave  Arizona  mer 
chant  had  done  us  ?  or  need  I  mention  that 
Mr.  Gray  —  God  bless  him,  wherever  he  may 
be !  —  is  always  remembered  with  gratitude 
by  me  ?  for  this  is  no  idle  incident  invent 
ed  to  amuse  a  reader,  but  an  actual  occur 
rence. 

Water ! — four  barrels ! — one  hundred  and  sixty 
gallons !  That  meant  two  gallons  for  every  man 
and  boy,  and  eight  gallons  for  each  animal.  It 
meant  rest,  speed,  safety. 

We  moved  across  the  ravine  and  found  the 
four  barrels  by  the  road-side.  The  animals  were 
secured  to  the  ambulance  and  the  acacia  bushes, 
the  heads  of  the  barrels  removed,  and  after  each 
person  had  satisfied  his  thirst  the  camp  kettles 
were  used,  until  horses  and  mules  had  drunk  the 
contents  of  one  each.  The  stock  was  then  turned 
out  to  graze. 

When  coffee  was  poured,  Private  Tom  Clary 
219 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

arose,  and,  holding  up  his  tin  cup,  said  to  his 
comrades : 

"Here's  a  toast  to  be  drunk  standin',  b'ys, 
and  for  many  ray  sons,  which  I  think  nade  not 
be  explained  to  this  assimbly,  I'm  glad  to  drink 
it  in  a  decoction  whose  principal  ingraydiant  is 
wather.  Here's  to  Mr.  Gray,  whose  conduct  at 
Soldiers'  Holes,  at  Date  Creek,  and  on  the  Walk- 
erhelyer  has  won  our  admiration.  May  he  niver 
lack  for  the  liquid  he  has  so  ginerously  dispinsed, 
nor  a  soft  hand  to  smooth  his  last  pillow,  and 
plinty  of  masses  for  the  repose  of  his  sowl!" 

Frank  and  Henry  sprang  towards  the  circle  of 
soldiers,  raised  their  cups  as  Clary  finished  his 
sentiment,  and  joined  in  the  hearty  response 
when  he  closed. 

At  one  o'clock  the  animals  were  caught  up, 
given  the  remainder  of  the  water  and  their  por 
tion  of  the  corn,  and  got  ready  for  the  road. 
Once  up  the  slope  Marr  cracked  his  whip,  the 
mules  started  into  a  trot,  the  horses  of  the  escort 
broke  into  a  canter,  and  amid  the  cheerful  clatter 
of  hoofs  and  the  rattle  of  wheels  we  sped  on  our 
way  as  fresh  as  if  we  were  just  leaving  Fort 
Whipple.  A  ride  of  twenty  miles  brought  us  to 
220 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Tyson's  Wells.  These  were  two  in  number,  sunk 
at  an  intersection  of  several  roads  leading  to  set 
tlements  and  mines,  an  accommodation  to  trains, 
flocks,  and  herds,  and  a  profit  to  the  owner. 

I  learned  from  Colonel  Tyson  that  immediately 
upon  his  arrival  Mr.  Gray  had  hired  a  wagon  to 
take  water  and  corn  to  us.  He  had  bargained 
for  the  driver  to  go  until  he  met  us,  but  the  man 
being  prepaid  may  account  for  his  not  fulfilling 
his  agreement  to  the  letter. 

The  rest  of  the  day  and  night  was  spent  at  the 
Wells,  the  boys  and  I  taking  our  supper  at  the 
Desert  Hotel,  kept  by  the  colonel.  At  the  table, 
Henry,  in  a  tone  of  evident  anxiety,  asked  if  we 
should  return  the  way  we  came. 

"  Yes,  if  we  can  find  a  few  kegs  in  La  Paz  that 
will  hold  water,"  I  answered. 

"  But  we  cannot  haul  kegs  enough  in  the  am 
bulance  to  supply  the  animals." 

"  It  will  not  be  difficult.  We  will  follow  the 
army  custom  in  such  cases,  and  I  will  promise 
you  that  there  will  be  no  suffering  from  thirst 
when  we  cross  the  desert  again." 

Just  as  we  were  preparing  for  bed  Mr.  Hud 
son  arrived  from  La  Paz.  He  informed  me  that 

221 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Texas  Dick  and  Jumping  Jack  were  there  and 
in  possession  of  the  ponies ;  that  there  was  to  be 
a  horse-race  the  day  after  to-morrow,  and  the 
ponies  had  been  entered.  At  this  news  the  boy 
sergeants  became  much  excited,  and  proposed  a 
dozen  impracticable  ways  of  going  on  at  once 
and  seizing  their  property. 

Hudson  said  he  had  talked  the  matter  over 
with  Mr.  Gray,  and  the  merchant  had  advised 
that  we  give  out  a  report  in  La  Paz  that  we  were 
there  on  the  transportation  and  storehouse  busi 
ness  only,  and  make  no  immediate  attempt  to 
capture  the  ponies.  He  said  the  town  was  full 
of  the  friends  of  the  horse-thieves,  and  that  our 
movements  would  be  closely  watched  and  re 
ported  to  them.  If  they  became  alarmed  they 
would  probably  run  across  the  Mexican  boun 
dary  at  once. 

"  But  why  cannot  we  attend  the  race  with  the 
escort,  as  spectators,  and  seize  them?"  asked 
Frank. 

"  That  is  a  move  they  will  be  sure  to  be  looking 
for.  If  any  of  you  go  to  .the  race,  I  believe  nei 
ther  of  those  men  nor  the  ponies  will  be  there." 

I  told  Hudson  to  return  to  La  Paz  before  day- 
222 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

light  and  circulate  the  report  that  I  was  coming 
for  the  purpose  he  had  mentioned.  I  also  re 
quested  him  to  watch  Jack  and  Dick,  and  if  he 
saw  them  making  preparations  for  flight  to  come 
and  meet  me.  We  were  met  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town  by  Mr.  Gray,  who  told  us  we  were  to  be 
his  guests  during  our  stay,  and  that  his  corral 
and  store-rooms  were  at  the  service  of  my  men 
and  stock. 

Going  directly  to  the  house  of  the  hospitable 
trader,  we  found  it  to  consist  of  well-furnished 
bachelor  quarters,  with  several  spare  rooms  for 
guests.  The  boys  were  assigned  a  room  by  them 
selves,  and  I  one  adjoining  them,  in  which  we 
found  ample  evidence  that  our  host  had  looked 
forward  with  pleasure  to  our  visit  and  had  fully 
understood  boyish  needs  and  desires. 

Henry,  after  exchanging  his  travelling-dress 
for  a  neat  uniform,  appeared  upon  the  veranda 
with  glowing  face  and  shining  hair. 

"  Mr.  Gray,  how  pleasant  you  have  made  our 
room  for  us !  Have  you  any  boys  of  your  own  ?" 
he  asked. 

"Only  two  nephews,  Sandy  and  Malcolm,  in 
the  'Land  of  Cakes,'  "  was  the  reply. 

223 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"What  a  good  uncle  you  must  be  to  them!" 

"  Thank  you,  laddie.  I  hope  the  bairns  are  as 
fine  boys  as  you  and  your  brother." 

"  You  are  very  kind  to  say  so,  sir.  May  I  ask 
you  a  question?" 

"A  dozen,  laddie.     What  is  it?" 

"  When  you  overtook  us  on  the  desert  you  said 
it  was  not  far  to  Tyson's  Wells,  and  that  we 
should  soon  be  there." 

"Ah!  then  you  thought  it  a  long  way,  ser 
geant?" 

"  Perhaps  my  terrible  thirst  had  something  to 
do  with  it,  but  it  seemed  more  than  twenty-five 
miles.  I  thought  you  had  a  queer  notion  of  dis 
tances." 

"  Only  a  little  deception  to  keep  up  your  heart, 
laddie.  I  saw  you  were  in  sad  need  of  water,  and 
I  made  a  hard  ride  to  send  it  to  you,  but  I  wanted 
you  to  do  your  best  to  meet  it.  What  do  you 
think  of  the  shrinking  properties  of  water  when 
applied  to  a  desert  road?" 

"  Wasn't  it  great,  though!  Those  last  twenty 
miles  your  four  barrels  shrank  into  nothing  but  a 
pleasant  three  hours'  ride." 

After  dinner  Mr.  Hudson  reported  that  he  had 
224 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

dropped  information  at  the  hotels  and  business 
places  that  we  were  here  to  meet  a  director  of 
the  Colorado  Navigation  Company.  We  also 
learned  from  him  that  the  steamer  Cocopah  had 
arrived  that  morning  from  up-river,  and  was  now 
lying  at  her  landing,  one  mile  below  town,  await 
ing  the  return  of  the  director  from  Wickenburg. 
Both  Mr.  Gray  and  Hudson  were  of  the  opinion 
that  the  horse  -  thieves  were  suspicious  of  our 
presence,  for  their  agents  had  been  unable  to 
locate  the  ponies  at  any  stable  in  town.  The 
horse  -  race  was  advertised  to  come  off  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  following  day,  half  a  mile  be 
low  the  steamboat-landing,  and  Texas  Dick  and 
Juan  Brincos  had  entered  horses  for  the  stakes. 

Mr.  Gray  thought  the  appearance  of  the  ponies 
in  the  race  would  depend  entirely  upon  what 
course  we  pursued.  If  we  attended  the  race  the 
ponies  would  not  be  there ;  if  we  stayed  away  he 
had  no  doubt  they  would  run. 

Believing  the  trader's  convictions  to  be  correct, 
I  instructed  the  escort  not  to  go  south  of  the 
town  during  the  day  of  the  races,  and  told  Frank 
and  Henry  to  amuse  themselves  about  the  streets 
or  in  the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Gray's  residence.  I  then 
is  225 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

started  with  our  host  to  procure  a  building  for  a 
military  store-house. 

For  the  rest  of  the  day  the  boys  showed  little 
disposition  to  wander  about ;  they  spent  most  of 
their  time  lounging  on  their  beds  with  a  book, 
or  asleep. 


xy 

THE   PONIES   ARE   FOUND 

THE  following  day  the  boy  sergeants  rose  from 
their  beds  fully  refreshed,  and  after  breakfast  be 
gan  to  explore  the  town.  They  made  some  pur 
chases  in  the  stores,  and  found  much  amusement 
in  watching  a  bevy  of  Mojave  Indian  girls  buy 
ing  pigments  to  be  used  in  adorning  their  necks, 
arms,  and  faces.  Following  the  bronze  maidens 
to  the  shore  of  a  lagoon  that  backed  up  to  the 
town  from  the  river,  they  seated  themselves  be 
neath  a  cottonwood  and  witnessed  the  designing 
of  tracings  in  many  colors,  made  with  endless  and 
musical  chatterings,  accompanied  by  an  evident 
consciousness  that  they  were  objects  of  interest 
to  two  pale-face  boys. 

After  completing  the  tinting  the  girls  would 

walk  about  for  a  while  and  display  their  work 

to  admiring  friends,  and  then  plunge  into  and 

swim  about  the  lagoon  with  the  ease  and  grace 

227 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

of  a  lot  of  mermaids;  emerging  with  no  trace 
left  of  their  recent  ornamentation,  they  would 
proceed  to  renew  it  in  different  designs,  and  take 
another  swim. 

"Quite  like  watering-place  belles  with  exten 
sive  wardrobes,"  remarked  Frank. 

"And  takes  about  as  long  to  put  on  the  paint 
as  to  put  on  a  fashionable  dress,"  said  Henry, 
"but  not  so  long  to  remove  it." 

Another  thing  that  amused  the  boys  was  a 
balsa,  or  raft,  made  by  the  Mojaves,  of  the  cane- 
grass  which  grew  in  the  river -bottoms  to  the 
height  of  fifteen  feet.  A  large  bundle  bound  at 
the  ends  with  grass  ropes  would  sustain  two  men. 
The  boys  borrowed  one  of  an  Indian  girl,  who 
was  sitting  in  the  shade  of  some  willows  prinking 
herself  artistically  with  an  original  and  intricate 
pigmentary  pattern.  Stepping  on  board,  they 
paddled  about  the  lagoon  for  a  considerable 
period. 

Tiring  at  last  of  the  sport,  they  separated, 
Frank  saying  that  he  was  going  for  his  shot 
gun,  and  perhaps  shoot  for  some  quail,  and 
Henry  that  he  meant  to  find  Tom  Clary  and 
set  some  lines  for  catfish. 
228 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  younger  sergeant  failing  to  find  the  sol 
dier,  selected  a  line,  and,  procuring  some  bait,  re 
turned  alone  to  the  lagoon.  On  his  way  he  met 
the  Indian  girl  walking  along  the  sidewalk,  an 
object  of  admiration  and  envy  to  the  men  and 
women  of  her  people.  Her  bronze  flesh  was 
adorned  with  a  lacelike  tracery  of  beautiful 
design,  in  many  tints. 

"How  exceedingly  pretty!"  said  Henry,  in 
Spanish,  a  language  fairly  well  understood  by 
the  aborigines  of  the  Southwest. 

"  I,  or  my  paint?"  asked  the  girl,  coquettishly. 

"The  paint  is  well  put  on;  but  I  think  you 
prettiest  just  after  a  swim." 

"  Thank  you,  senor." 

"May  I  use  the  balsa  again,  Indita?" 

"Si,  senor,  and  you  may  keep  it,  but  return 
the  paddle." 

"Thank  you.  I  will  leave  the  paddle  on  the 
shore  where  you  were  sitting." 

With  this  exchange  of  civilities  Henry  walked 
down  to  the  pool.  An  idea  had  occurred  to  him. 
He  wondered  if  he  could  not  float  down  the  river 
to  the  racing-ground  and  get  a  peep  at  Sancho 
and  Chiquita,  as  they  came  in  victors.  He  felt 
229 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

sure  no  ponies  in  Arizona  could  outrun  them. 
But  Mr.  Duncan  had  told  the  escort  not  to  go 
to  the  race.  True;  but  what  harm  could  there 
be  if  he  kept  out  of  sight  ? 

Placing  an  empty  box  on  the  raft  for  a  seat, 
he  took  Vic  on  board,  and  began  paddling  out 
of  the  lagoon.  Speed  could  not  be  made  with 
such  a  craft;  it  was  simply  a  convenience  for 
crossing  or  journeying  down  the  river.  The  Mo- 
javes,  whose  village  was  five  miles  above  La  Paz, 
came  down  on  freshly  made  balsas  every  day, 
but  walked  home,  carrying  their  paddles. 

Once  well  out  of  the  lagoon,  and  in  the  river- 
current,  the  boy  and  dog  were  swept  along  at  a 
swift  rate. 

A  mile  down  the  shore  he  saw  a  crowd  of  men, 
mounted  and  on  foot,  intently  watching  some 
thing  inland.  He  was  approaching  the  race 
course.  He  made  a  landing  on  a  sand-spit  that 
struck  off  from  an  outward  curve  of  the  bank, 
and  dragged  the  balsa  out  of  the  water. 

The  shore  rose  abruptly  from  the  bar  to  a 
height  two  feet  above  his  head.  He  lifted  and 
boosted  Vic  up,  and  seizing  the  long  tufts  of 
overhanging  grass  and  thrusting  his  feet  into 

230 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

the  loops  of  willow  roots,  drew  himself  to  the 
higher  level  and  crept  into  a  screen  of  low 
bushes. 

Peering  through  the  branches,  Henry  saw  a 
straight-away  course,  parallel  to  the  river,  bor 
dered  for  three  hundred  yards  with  the  motley 
crowd  of  a  mining  and  Indian  country.  At  the 
northern  end  of  the  course  was  a  group  of  ten 
ponies,  out  of  which  he  found  no  difficulty  in 
discovering  two,  a  black  and  a  cream-color,  and 
recognizing  in  them  the  property  of  his  brother 
and  himself.  In  his  opinion  they  were  the  hand 
somest  animals  in  the  group. 

At  the  fourth  signal — a  pistol-shot — the  ponies 
got  away.  Down  the  three-hundred-yard  track 
they  sped,  and  over  the  last  fourth  the  black  and 
cream-color  led  by  a  length,  crossing  the  goal 
with  Sancho  half  a  neck  in  advance.  Of  course 
the  little  sergeant  knew  they  would  beat,  and  in 
spite  of  his  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  his  ponies — in 
tensified  by  this  stolen  sight  of  them — he  could 
not  refrain  from  clapping  his  hands  and  saying, 
aloud,  "Bravo,  Sancho!  Bravita,  Chiquita!" 

The  subdued  cheer  was  promptly  answered  by 
a  succession  of  barks  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and 

231 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Vic,  interpreting  the  boy's  clapping  and  speech 
to  mean  that  she  was  free  to  go,  dashed  off  at  the 
top  of  her  speed  for  the  race-course,  and  to  its 
southern  end,  where  the  victors  were  now  held 
by  their  dismounted  riders.  Vic  bounded  wildly 
about  them  for  a  few  moments,  and  then,  stand 
ing  still,  Henry  saw  each  horse  in  turn  place  its 
nose  to  the  dog's  nose.  One  of  the  men  struck 
the  dog  sharply  with  the  loop  of  his  bridle- 
rein,  and  as  she  fled  back  in  the  direction  of 
the  tree  in  which  the  boy  was,  he  saw  the  riders 
hold  a  brief  consultation  and  then  follow  the 
dog. 

Henry,  perceiving  he  was  discovered,  let  him 
self  down  from  the  tree.  Texas  Dick  and  Jump 
ing  Jack  approached. 

"Ven  aca,  muchacho"  (Come  here,  boy),  said 
the  Mexican. 

Henry  did  not  stir,  and  Dick  said  to  his  com 
panion,  in  Spanish:  "He  does  not  understand 
your  lingo.  I  will  try  him  in  English:  Come 
here,  boy." 

Henry  had  not  disregarded  Juan's  summons 
for  any  particular  reason,  but  the  remark  of 
Dick  gave  him  an  idea.     By  pretending  igno- 
232 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ranee  of  Spanish  he  might  learn  something  that 
would  be  of  advantage  to  him.  Accordingly,  he 
came  forward  when  Dick  spoke. 

"From  Fort  Whipple,  ain't  yer,  sonny?" 

"I  am." 

"  D'  ye  know  these  critters?" 

"  The  black  is  my  brother's,  the  light  is  mine." 

"  Lookin'  on  'em  up,  I  s'pect?" 

"We  shall  take  them,  if  we  can." 

"You  see,  I  was  right,"  continued  Dick  to  his 
companion,  in  Spanish.  "They  came  here  to 
take  these  horses." 

"  Then  we  better  call  for  the  prize,  collect  our 
stakes,  and  leave,"  said  Juan. 

"  Where  shall  we  go  ?' '  asked  Dick.  "  Arizona's 
getting  uncomfortable  for  me,  and  your  kin 
across  the  Mexican  line  don't  love  you." 

"  Valgame  Dios,  no !  Let's  cross  the  river  and 
go  to  San  Diego  or  Los  Angeles." 

"  Estar  bueno.  Come  with  us,  youngster,"  he 
added,  in  English;  "and  mind  ye  keep  a  quiet 
tongue  in  yer  head  or  ye'll  have  no  head  to  wag 
it  in  after  ye've  spoke." 

Henry  followed  the  men  to  the  head  of  the 
race -course,  where  they  received  their  prizes 

233 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  winnings,  and  withdrew  to  the  river-bank. 
There  they  divided  the  money  and  held  a  con 
ference. 

"We'd  better  cross  the  river  to-night  and 
camp  at  El  Rincon  until  morning,  and  then 
strike  for  Dos  Palmas  and  the  coast." 

"  Shall  we  leave  our  monte  and  other  stuff  in 
town?"  asked  Juan. 

"  No;  you  stay  here  and  take  care  of  the  boy, 
and  I'll  go  back  and  sell  out.  Anastacio  Barela 
will  buy.  Look  sharp  that  the  young  soldier 
does  not  send  a  message  by  his  dog.  I  heard  lots 
of  strange  stories  of  her  performances  in  that 
line  at  Prescott.  I  will  bring  down  something 
for  our  supper  and  the  road." 

Dick  galloped  away,  leaving  the  Mexican  and 
Henry  to  await  his  return.  As  the  twilight  deep 
ened  into  darkness  the  boy's  thoughts  grew  more 
and  more  despondent.  He  now  fully  and  sadly 
realized  that  his  disobedience  of  orders  had 
brought  disgrace  upon  himself,  and  ruined  ev 
ery  chance  of  recovering  the  ponies,  for  once 
the  thieves  got  well  away  they  were  secure  from 
capture. 

It  was  night  when  Dick  returned  and  told  the 
234 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Mexican  that  he  had  made  an  advantageous  sale 
of  their  gambling  outfit. 

"Now,  kid,  ye  kin  slope,"  he  said,  addressing 
the  disheartened  lad.  "  Tell  the  lieutenant  that 
he  kin  look  for  us  at  Hermosilla,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Mexican  bound' ry.  Good-bye." 

Henry  hurried  away  towards  La  Paz,  with 
Vic  close  at  his  heels.  There  was  no  occasion 
for  haste,  for  he  felt  that  nothing  in  the  town 
could  overtake  the  lost  Sancho  and  Chiquita; 
still  he  hurried  and  stumbled  on  in  the  dark 
ness. 

"Oh,  Vicky,"  said  the  boy,  in  his  misery, 
stooping  to  caress  his  companion,  "  I  ought  to 
be  court-martialled  and  dishonorably  discharged 
from  the  service  for  this.  I  have  done  very 
wrong.  I  have  lost  our  ponies  for  good." 

The  dog  licked  his  hand  sympathetically,  and 
then  suddenly  bounded  away,  barking,  and 
Henry  heard  Frank's  voice  say: 

"Why,  Tom,  here's  Vic!" 

"  Thin  Sargint  Hinery  must  be  near,"  said  the 
soldier. 

"Yes,  I'm  here,  Frank — and  oh,  Frank,  I'm 
in  such  trouble!"  And  in  a  curiously  jumbled 

235 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

and  half-incoherent  manner  Henry  related  his 
afternoon's  experience. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  recital  the  three  held 
a  consultation  as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done. 
Time  was  precious,  and  the  town  was  nearly  two 
miles  distant. 

"Sargints,"  said  Private  Tom  Clary,  "I  be- 
lave  we  can  do  bist  by  oursilves.  Me  afther- 
noon's  lave  ixpires  at  tattoo,  but  if,  as  me  shu- 
parior  officers,  ye'll  allow  me  to  be  out  of  camp 
a  bit  longer,  I  think  we  can  sarcumvint  the 
thaves." 

"  We'll  do  our  best  to  get  you  excused  by  the 
lieutenant,"  said  Frank. 

"Thank  you,  sargint  laddie.  You  say  the 
grass-boat  is  near  by,  Sargint  Hinery?" 

"Not  far  from  here,  Tom.  Just  west  of  the 
middle  of  the  race-course." 

"And  the  thaves  are  going  to  camp  and  cook 
their  supper  on  the  other  side?" 

"So  they  said." 

"  Thin  we'll  attimpt  to  interfare  with  their  ar- 
rangemints.  I  think  the  liftinint  will  commind 
an  '  absence  without  lave '  if  we  bring  in  the  ras- 
kils  and  the  ponies." 

236 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  soldier  and  boys  turned,  and,  bidding  Vic 
keep  close  to  them,  hurried  to  the  bar  where 
Henry  had  left  the  gift  of  the  Mojave  belle.  As 
they  were  lifting  the  elastic  raft  into  the  water 
they  heard  the  voices  of  men  on  the  river,  accom 
panied  by  the  splashing  of  water,  and  knew  that 
the  horse- thieves  were  fording  the  stream. 

The  Colorado  was  shoal,  having  an  average 
autumnal  depth  of  four  feet  at  La  Paz.  Clary 
secured  two  poles  from  the  river  debris  lodged 
on  the  bar,  one  for  Frank  and  one  for  himself. 
Henry  sat  on  the  box  in  the  middle,  holding  his 
companions'  guns  across  his  lap  with  one  hand, 
and  grasping  Vic's  collar  with  the  other.  The 
well-filled  game-bags  lay  between  his  feet. 

The  balsa  moved  slowly  towards  the  opposite 
shore  and  swiftly  down -stream,  the  stalwart 
Irish  soldier's  feet  settling  into  the  loosely  bound 
stems  as  he  poled.  Becoming  alarmed  when  he 
found  the  water  standing  above  his  ankles,  he 
called,  in  a  subdued  undertone : 

"Sargint  Frank,  I  belave  I  shall  go  through 
the  bottom  of  this  1'aky  craft  before  we  git 
across." 

"Take  Henry's  paddle,  Tom;  it  lies  on  the 
237 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

right  side  of  the  box.  Lay  it  across  the  reeds 
and  stand  on  it." 

"Ah,  sure  and  that's  betther.  Kape  yer  ind 
a  little  more  up-strame,  sargint.  We'll  steer  by 
the  avening  star." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  balsa  lodged  against  the 
shore  in  the  still  water  of  a  little  cove.  The  boys 
and  soldier  were  aware  that  they  were  landing 
some  miles  below  their  starting-point,  for  the 
current  was  strong  and  swift,  while  the  horse- 
thieves  had  forded  the  river  almost  in  a  direct 
line.  They  climbed  the  bank,  and  ordering  Vic 
to  keep  close  by  them,  began  to  move  as  fast  as 
possible  up  the  shore. 

They  had  made  their  way  for  nearly  an  hour 
over  a  rough  and  miry  river-bottom  when  the 
setter  showed  sudden  excitement  and  began 
sniffing  to  the  right  and  left. 

"She  must  have  struck  their  path  from  the 
river  to  their  camping-place,  Tom,"  said  Frank. 
"  Look  sharp,  Vicky,  look  sharp !" 

"  But  she  seems  to  be  working  up-stream," 
said  Henry.  "  I  should  think  they  would  have 
gone  straight  inland." 

"There's  an  excillint  rayson  for  that,  sargint 
238 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

laddie,"  returned  Clary.  "One  of  the  routes  t' 
th'  coast  begins  exactly  opposite  th'  town,  and 
they  must  go  up-strame  to  foind  it ;  El  Rincon 
the  landing-place  is  called." 

"The  Corner?" 

"  Yis,  Th'  Corner.  Th'  shore  binds  out  there 
a  wee  bit." 

Man  and  boys  continued  to  struggle  along, 
until  across  a  level,  grassless  plot  they  saw,  near 
a  clump  of  cottonwoods,  a  fire,  where  Texas  Dick 
and  Jumping  Jack  were  plainly  visible,  cooking 
their  supper.  On  the  side  of  the  fire  opposite  the 
river  were  two  saddles,  upon  which  rested  their 
rifles  and  revolvers.  Still  farther  west  the  two 
ponies  were  picketed  and  grazing. 

Clary  told  Henry  to  go  to  the  ponies  and  stay 
there  with  Vic,  while  he  and  Frank  crept  upon 
the  thieves.  Screening  themselves  behind  tufts 
and  swells,  and  lastly  behind  the  saddles,  they 
worked  across  the  level,  the  sound  of  their  mov 
ing  being  covered  by  the  booming  and  rushing 
of  the  mighty  river.  When  within  twenty  yards 
of  the  fire  and  five  from  the  saddles,  Private  Tom 
Clary  sprang  to  his  feet,  aimed  his  double-bar 
relled  shot-gun  at  the  thieves,  and  shouted: 
239 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Throw  up  your  arrums!" 

At  the  same  instant  Frank  made  a  flying  leap 
for  the  saddles,  and  seized  the  rifles  and  revolv 
ers.  Henry  ran  forward  and  assisted  his  broth 
er  in  keeping  Dick  and  Juan  under  the  muzzles 
of  their  own  rifles,  while  Clary  securely  bound 
them.  This  accomplished,  the  boys  went  back 
for  a  moment  to  renew  their  acquaintance  with 
their  horses.  Yes,  the  chase  was  over,  and 
their  favorites  were  again  in  their  possession; 
and  it  cannot  appear  strange  that  the  young 
soldiers  went  into  boyish  ecstasies  of  delight  at 
their  good- fortune,  embracing,  patting,  and  talk 
ing  to  Sancho  and  Chiquita  as  if  they  understood 
all  that  was  said  to  them. 

But  at  last  they  joined  Clary  at  the  fire,  and 
the  three,  while  they  continued  to  carry  on  the 
interrupted  cooking  of  their  captives,  discussed 
ways  and  means  of  returning  to  La  Paz,  and  it 
was  decided  to  send  the  setter  with  a  message. 
A  note  was  pencilled  on  a  page  of  Frank's  diary, 
attached  to  Vic's  collar,  and  she  was  taken  to  the 
river-bank  and  given  a  stick,  with  orders  to  de 
liver  it  to  her  master.  With  but  little  hesitation 
she  plunged  into  the  murky  current,  and  soon 
240 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

disappeared  in  the  darkness  in  the  direction  of 
the  other  shore. 

While  the  boy  sergeants  were  going  through 
these  adventures  I  remained  in  La  Paz.  At  re 
treat  and  tattoo  roll-calls  Corporal  Duffey  had 
reported  Private  Clary  absent,  adding  the  words 
"and  unaccounted  for,"  and  at  Mr.  Gray's  table 
the  boys  were  absent  from  supper. 

At  first  I  gave  myself  no  anxiety  over  the  ab 
sentees,  but  at  midnight,  becoming  alarmed,  I 
began  a  search  for  them.  I  soon  learned  that 
Henry  had  been  seen  to  paddle  out  of  the  lagoon 
on  a  Mojave  balsa,  accompanied  by  Vic,  and  that 
Frank  and  Clary  had  gone  quail  -  shooting.  I 
did  not  feel  especially  anxious  about  the  older 
boy,  for  he  was  in  the  company  of  one  of  the 
most  trustworthy  of  our  veteran  soldiers,  and 
would  probably  soon  turn  up  safe.  But  Henry — 
gone  down  the  turbulent  river  on  a  frail  bundle 
of  grass — what  might  I  not  fear? 

I  led  all  the  men  of  the  detail — every  one  of 
them  as  anxious  as  myself — on  a  long  and  fruit 
less  search  beside  the  river,  without  coming  upon 
a  clew.  Returning  to  Mr.  Gray's,  and  dismiss 
ing  the  men,  I  sat  upon  the  veranda  alone,  sadly 

16  241 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

reflecting  upon  the  absence  of  my  young  com 
panions  and  Vic. 

In  the  midst  of  my  sad  reflections  there 
scrambled  up  the  steps  a  wet  and  bedraggled 
dog,  who  dropped  at  my  feet  a  chip.  Carrying 
her  in  my  arms  to  my  room,  I  lighted  a  lamp  and 
examined  her  collar,  and  found  a  few  leaves  of  a 
memorandum-book  covered  with  Frank's  hand 
writing. 

The  news  of  Vic's  arrival  with  a  message  spread 
quickly,  and  soon  the  household  was  gathered  in 
my  room  and  in  possession  of  the  news  of  the  ex 
ploit  of  the  boys  and  Tom  Clary. 

"Good!  good!"  exclaimed  the  director  of  the 
Navigation  Company.  "Come  with  me  to  the 
Cocopah.  We'll  steam  across  and  get  the  whole 
party." 

On  the  western  shore  of  the  Colorado,  Private 
Tom  Clary  and  the  boy  sergeants  sat  by  the  fire 
broiling  quail,  which  they  seasoned  from  the 
supplies  of  Texas  Dick  and  Juan  Brincos,  and 
accompanied  by  slices  of  toasted  bread  from  the 
same  source.  In  the  midst  of  their  enjoyment 
of  "quail  on  toast"  a  loud  "who-o-of!  who-o-of! 
who-o-of!"  came  across  the  river. 

242 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Hullo!"  said  Henry;  "the  old  Cocopah  is 
starting  for  the  Gulf  mighty  early.  I  should 
think  the  pilot  would  find  it  difficult  to  keep 
off  the  shores  when  it  is  so  dark." 

The  boys  could  see  by  the  boat's  changing  lights 
that  her  bow,  which  had  been  headed  up-stream 
when  she  lay  at  the  bank,  was  swinging  slowly 
out  into  the  stream,  and  they  expected  shortly  to 
see  her  starboard  lights  as  she  headed  downward. 
But  she  seemed  to  pause,  with  her  furnace  fires 
and  pilot  lanterns  pointing  towards  them. 

"Who-o-of!  who-o-of !  who-o-of ! — patter,  pat 
ter,  patter."  The  noise  of  the  steamer  grew 
louder  and  louder,  until  the  boys  rose  from  their 
seats  and  stared  in  surprise  at  the  rapidly  grow 
ing  lights. 

"I  really  believe  she  is  coming  here,"  said 
Frank. 

"She  is,  or  she  nades  a  dale  of  space  to  turn 
in,"  observed  Private  Tom. 

Presently  two  tall  smoke-stacks  separated 
themselves  from  the  darkness  and  appeared  high 
above  their  heads. 

"Ahoy  there,  boys!"  shouted  the  captain's 
voice  from  the  bridge. 

243 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!"  answered  Frank. 

"Get  ready  to  come  on  board!  Below  there 
— stand  by  to  lower  gang-plank!  Now! — lower 
away!" 

Down  came  the  plank,  and  a  joyous  group  of 
friends  walked  down  to  the  shore  to  greet  the 
boys  and  the  soldier. 

A  few  moments  afterwards  the  boy  sergeants 
led  their  ponies  on  board,  and  Private  Tom  Clary 
escorted  the  prisoners.  The  Coco  pah  cleared 
away  and  paddled  back  to  the  La  Paz  side, 
where  Texas  Dick  and  Juan  Brincos  were  turned 
over  to  the  civil  authorities,  and  Sancho  and 
Chiquita  to  the  escort  in  Mr.  Gray's  corral. 

Three  days  later  the  boys  and  I  took  leave  of 
Mr.  Hudson,  who  was  now  in  charge  of  the  gov 
ernment  storehouse,  and,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Gray,  started  for  Fort  Whipple.  Hanging  under 
the  hind  axle  of  the  ambulance  was  a  ten-gallon 
keg,  and  inside  was  another.  We  left  La  Paz 
early  in  the  morning  and  arrived  at  Tyson's 
Wells  at  nine  o'clock.  Remaining  there  until 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  watered  our  ani 
mals,  and  with  freshly  filled  kegs  started  for 
Hole  -  in  -  the  -  Plain,  where  we  stayed  until  the 

244 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

following  evening,  the  animals  passing  the  day 
on  grass  without  water.  A  second  night-drive 
brought  us  to  Cisternas  Negras,  and  the  third  to 
Date  Creek,  from  which  last  point  we  resumed 
travelling  by  daylight. 

At  Skull  Valley,  at  the  earnest  request  of  Miss 
Brenda  Arnold,  Henry  was  allowed  to  remain 
for  a  few  days'  visit.  He  promised  to  join  the 
next  incoming  mail-rider,  and  to  ride  back  to 
the  fort  by  way  of  the  mountain-trail. 


XVI 

APACHES    IN    SKULL    VALLEY 

IT  was  near  midnight,  four  days  after  my  re 
turn  from  La  Paz,  that  I  sat  by  my  open  fire, 
absorbed  in  a  recently  published  popular  novel. 
I  was  suddenly  aroused  by  a  distant  and  rapid 
clatter  of  horse's  feet.  The  sound  came  dis 
tinctly  through  the  loop-holes  in  the  outer  wall 
of  the  room — loop-holes  made  for  rifles  and  left 
open  for  ventilation.  Dropping  my  book  upon 
the  table,  I  listened  intently  to  the  hoof -beats. 
Some  one  was  riding  from  the  direction  of  Pres- 
cott,  evidently  in  great  haste ;  and  Arizona  being 
a  country  of  alarms,  I  surmised  that  the  rider 
was  coming  to  the  fort.  The  horseman  stopped 
at  the  great  gates. 

"Halt!  Who  comes  there?"  rang  out  the 
voice  of  Private  Tom  Clary,  who  was  sentinel 
No.  i,  stationed  at  the  post  entrance.  "Sargint 
246 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Hinery,  is  it  you,  laddie?"  the  voice  continued, 
in  a  lower  and  gentler  tone. 

"Yes,  Tom;  and,  oh,  tell  Mr.  Duncan,  quick, 
that—" 

"Whist!  Take  care,  laddie!  Howld  on  a  bit !" 
and  a  rifle  fell  clattering  to  the  ground  and  two 
solid  feet  sprang  forward  with  a  rush. 

Hearing  this,  I  started  for  the  secret  postern, 
and  as  I  opened  my  door,  heard  the  honest  old 
soldier  shout: 

"  Corpril  uv  th'  guard,  No.  i !"  and,  in  a  lower 
and  appealing  tone:  "  Liftinint,  if  ye  hear  me, 
come  quick  to  the  little  sargint.  I  fear  th'  dear 
b'y  is  dyin'." 

In  an  instant  I  was  through  the  narrow  gate 
way,  standing  beside  a  group  of  the  guard  that 
surrounded  Clary,  who,  kneeling  beside  a  pant 
ing  and  reeking  pony,  held  the  inanimate  form 
of  Henry  Burton  in  his  arms. 

"Corpril  Duffey,  will  ye  let  one  uv  the  b'ys 
walk  me  bate  a  minate  till  I  can  take  the  laddie 
in?"  asked  Tom. 

"Yes,  Clary,  go  ahead,  and  stay  as  long  as 
you're  needed,"  was  the  kindly  answer. 

"Is  it  to  your  room  I'll  be  takin'  him,  sor?" 
247 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

asked  Clary,  rising  and  holding  his  burden  across 
his  breast. 

"  Of  course,  and  place  him  on  my  bed.  Cor 
poral  Duffey,  send  a  man  for  the  surgeon  and 
hospital  steward,  and  send  another  with  the 
pony  to  the  stable." 

It  was  too  dark  to  take  in  details,  but  I  no 
ticed  Chiquita  was  utterly  exhausted,  and  that 
she  was  covered  with  foam.  Following  Clary  to 
my  room,  I  saw,  when  the  light  fell  upon  Henry's 
face,  that  his  right  cheek  and  neck  were  bleeding, 
and  that  his  left  arm  hung  unnaturally  limp  by 
the  bearer's  side. 

We  placed  him  upon  the  bed,  and  Surgeon 
Coues,  who  had  now  arrived  and  pronounced  the 
boy  to  be  simply  in  a  faint  from  loss  of  blood  and 
over-exertion,  applied  restoratives  and  brought 
him  back  to  consciousness.  As  Henry's  eyelids 
raised,  and  he  recognized  me,  he  said,  weakly : 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Duncan,  tell  Captain  Bayard  the  Ind 
ians  have  attacked  Mr.  Arnold's  ranch,  and  that 
Mrs.  Arnold  is  dead!" 

"Indians  attacked  the  ranch!     When?" 

"About  four  o'clock." 

"How  many?" 

248 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Don't  know.  Seemed  as  if  there  were  over 
a  hundred.  And  don't  stop  to  worry  over  me. 
Don't  stop  an  instant — these  scratches  are  noth 
ing — but  send  the  soldiers,  quick,  or  Brenda  and 
all  will  be  killed!" 

"  How  did  you  get  away  from  the  ranch?  But 
you  are  right,  this  is  no  time  for  talk." 

I  aroused  the  other  officers  instantly,  and  sent 
Frank  to  his  brother.  All  assembled  in  my  quar 
ters,  and,  while  the  surgeon  dressed  the  wounds 
in  cheek  and  neck  and  set  a  fractured  radius, 
orders  for  an  expedition  to  Skull  Valley  were  is 
sued,  and  Henry  told  his  story. 

At  the  time  this  incident  occurred  the  Cali- 
fornians  had  been  mustered  out  of  service  and 
returned  to  their  distant  homes,  and  the  garrison 
at  Fort  Whipple  consisted  of  infantry  only.  But 
there  were  many  "dough-boys"  who  were  good 
riders,  and  a  number  of  excellent  horses  were 
kept  by  the  quartermaster  for  emergencies  which 
required  speed  and  short  service. 

Captain  Bayard  gave  orders  for  a  sergeant, 
three  corporals,  and  twenty-two  privates  to  be 
got  in  readiness  for  mounted  service,  with  ra 
tions  for  five  days.  The  command  was  given  to 

249 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

me,  and  Private  Tom  Clary  immediately  applied 
to  be  relieved  from  guard  in  order  to  accompany 
me.  His  request  was  granted. 

Sergeant  Frank  concluded  to  remain  with  his 
brother. 

"I  know  it  is  rough  on  you,  Frankie,"  said 
Henry,  "  not  to  have  a  chance  to  win  a  few  scars, 
too;  but  I  should  be  dreadfully  worried  if  you 
were  to  go,  and  I'm  worried  enough  about 
Brenda  now.  You  must  stay  with  me." 

And  so  it  was  settled,  and  Frank  remained  be 
hind,  lending  his  pony  Sancho  to  Private  Clary. 

During  all  this  preparation,  dressing  of  wounds, 
and  setting  of  fractures,  Henry  had  managed  to 
give  us  an  account  of  what  had  happened  at 
Skull  Valley  before  he  left.  I  will,  however,  re 
peat  it  a  little  more  connectedly,  with  additions 
obtained  later  from  other  parties. 

After  I  left  Sergeant  Henry  in  the  valley,  as  I 
passed  through  there  from  the  Xuacaxella,  he 
had  for  three  days  devoted  himself  to  the  amuse 
ment  of  his  young  hostess,  Brenda,  and  her 
cousins. 

There  were  many  reasons  why  the  Arnolds 
were  not  fearing  an  attack  at  the  time,  the  prin- 
250 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

cipal  one  being  that  the  Indians  had  recently 
been  defeated  at  Date  Creek.  With  that  affair 
they  seemed  to  have  withdrawn,  and  no  signs  of 
them  had  been  seen  since. 

Near  the  close  of  the  afternoon  of  the  fourth 
day  of  Henry's  visit  a  party  of  forty-one  Apa 
ches  had  suddenly  appeared,  and  had  spent  an 
hour  or  more  reconnoitring  the  valley  and  its  ap 
proaches.  Apparently  becoming  satisfied  that 
they  would  not  be  interrupted  in  their  attack 
by  outside  parties,  they  began  active  operations 
by  collecting  the  Arnold  cattle  and  horses,  and 
placing  them  in  charge  of  two  of  their  number 
near  the  spring. 

Next  they  fired  one  of  the  out-buildings,  and 
under  cover  of  the  smoke  gained  entrance  to  a 
second,  which  stood  less  than  a  hundred  feet  from 
the  north  side  of  the  house.  Knocking  the  mud 
and  chips  from  between  the  logs  here  and  there, 
they  were  enabled  to  open  fire  upon  the  settlers 
at  short  range. 

With  the  first  appearance  of  the  Indians,  Mr. 
Arnold,  assisted  by  two  travellers  who  had  ar 
rived  that  afternoon  from  Date  Creek  on  their 
way  to  Prescott,  closed  the  windows  and  door- 

251 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ways  with  heavy  puncheon  shutters,  removed 
the  stops  from  the  loop-holes,  directed  the  girls 
to  carry  provisions  and  property  into  the  earth 
work,  got  the  arms  and  ammunition  ready,  and 
awaited  further  demonstrations. 

The  available  defensive  force  consisted  of  every 
member  of  the  family,  including  Sergeant  Henry 
Burton  and  the  two  strangers.  The  mother  and 
daughters  had  been  taught  the  use  of  fire-arms 
by  the  husband  and  father,  and  Brenda  had  been 
taught  by  the  boy  sergeants.  In  an  emergency 
like  the  one  being  narrated,  where  death  and 
mutilation  were  sure  to  follow  capture,  the  girls 
were  nerved  to  do  all  that  could  have  been  ex 
pected  of  boys  at  their  ages. 

Until  the  Apaches  gained  possession  of  the  sec 
ond  out-building,  few  shots  had  been  exchanged, 
and  the  besieged  closely  watched  their  move 
ments  through  the  loop-holes.  It  was  while  do 
ing  this  that  a  bullet  pierced  the  brain  of  Mrs. 
Arnold,  and  she  fell  dead  in  the  midst  of  her 
family. 

The  body  of  Mrs.  Arnold  was  borne  to  the 
cellar  by  the  sorrowing  husband,  accompanied 
by  the  weeping  children.  The  firing  became  des- 

252 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ultory  and  without  apparent  effect.  Ball  and  ar 
row  could  not  pierce  the  thick  walls  of  the  log- 
house  ;  only  through  the  loop-holes  could  a  mis 
sile  enter,  and  by  rare  good-fortune  none  of  the 
defenders,  after  the  first  casualty,  chanced  to  be 
in  line  when  one  did. 

The  family  again  assembled  in  defence  of  their 
home  and  lives,  the  grave  necessity  of  keeping 
off  the  impending  danger  banishing,  in  a  measure, 
the  thoughts  of  their  bereavement.  An  ominous 
silence  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  was  broken  at 
last  by  the  swish  of  a  blazing  arrow  to  the  roof. 
Mr.  Arnold  rushed  to  the  garret,  and  with  the 
butt  of  his  rifle  broke  a  hole  in  the  covering  and 
flung  the  little  torch  to  the  ground. 

But  another  and  another  burning  arrow  fol 
lowed,  and  in  spite  of  desperate  and  vigilant  ac 
tion  the  pine  shingles  burst  into  flames  in  several 
places.  At  this  juncture  Henry,  whose  station 
was  on  the  south  side  of  the  house,  approached 
Mr.  Arnold  and  said : 

"Sir,  I  see  Chiquita  grazing  near  the  spring, 

close  to  the  edge  of  the  willows,  and  the  two 

Indians  there  with  the  herd  keep  well  this  way, 

watching  the  fight.     If  you  think  best,  I  will 

253 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

creep  through  the  passage,  mount,  and  ride  to 
the  fort  for  the  soldiers." 

Mr.  Arnold  did  not  at  once  reply.  He  took  a 
long  look  through  a  loop-hole  towards  the  spring, 
and  Henry,  misinterpreting  his  silence,  said: 

"  Don't  think  I  want  to  desert  you,  sir,  and 
skip  the  ranch.  I'll  stay  here  and  do  my  best 
with  the  others,  but  I  thought,  perhaps,  if  I 
could  do  it,  I  might  save  you  all." 

"  God  bless  ye,  my  boy ;  nobody  can  doubt  yer 
fightin'  'bility;   yer  was  born  a  soldier.     I  was 
only  thinkin'  yer  chance  uv  gittin'  by  them  two 
redskins  at  the  spring 's  mighty  small." 
"Then  you  think  it  a  good  plan?" 
"  Yes ;  I'd  like  to  have  ye  do  it,  if  ye  can." 
"Thank  you,  sir.     I'll  do  my  best." 
Then  the  lad  passed  around  the  rooms,  taking 
the  hand  of  each  defender  in  farewell  until  he 
reached  Brenda.     As  he  took  her  hand  in  his 
right  and  fondly  lay  his  left  upon  it,  the  young  girl 
broke  into  uncontrollable  sobbing,  and,  throw 
ing  her  disengaged  arm  over  his  shoulder,  said : 
"  Oh,  Henry!  what  a  dear,  brave  boy  you  are! 
You  never  think  of  yourself,  but  always  of  your 
friends!" 

254 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  I  will  bring  the  soldiers,  Brenda,  and  you 
shall  all  be  saved.  Keep  up  a  good  heart." 

"  But  it  is  such  a  long  ride,  and  even  if  you  do 
get  away,  you  may  find  us  dead  or  captives  when 
you  return." 

"You  must  be  brave,  Brenda — no,  not  brave, 
for  you  are  that  already;  but  be  patient.  We 
are  sure  to  be  here  before  those  fellows  can  take 
the  little  fort.  That  can  be  defended  as  long  as 
the  ammunition  holds  out." 

Then  the  boy  kissed  the  pretty  Brenda  and 
her  cousins,  and  dropped  into  the  cellar.  Pass 
ing  into  the  earthwork,  he  selected  his  saddle 
and  bridle  from  a  heap  of  others,  buckled  on 
his  spurs,  dropped  with  bowed  head  upon  his 
knees  a  moment,  and  crept  into  the  passage  lead 
ing  to  the  spring.  Groping  his  way  between  the 
narrow  walls,  he  presently  emerged  through  a 
natural  crevice  in  a  mass  of  bowlders  near  the 
spring.  Standing  in  the  screen  of  willows,  he 
parted  the  branches  cautiously  in  the  direction 
of  the  two  Indians,  and  saw  them  less  than  a 
hundred  yards  distant,  standing  with  their  backs 
towards  him  watching  the  Arnold  house,  the  roof 
of  which  was  now  a  roaring,  leaping  mass  of  flame. 

255 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Closing  the  boughs  again,  Henry  opened  them 
in  an  opposite  direction  and  crept  softly  up  to 
Chiquita,  holding  out  his  hand  to  her.  The  doc 
ile  pony  raised  her  head,  and,  coming  forward, 
placed  her  nose  in  his  palm,  submitting  to  be 
saddled  and  bridled  without  objection  or  noise. 

Leaping  into  the  saddle,  the  boy  drove  his 
spurs  into  the  animal's  flanks,  and  was  off  at  a 
furious  run  in  the  direction  of  Whipple.  Startled 
by  the  hoof -beats,  the  Apaches  looked  back,  and 
began  running  diagonally  across  the  field  to  try 
to  intercept  the  boy  before  he  turned  into  the 
direct  trail.  Arrow  after  arrow  flew  after  him, 
one  wounding  him  in  the  neck  and  another  in 
the  cheek,  and  when  the  distance  began  to  in 
crease  between  him  and  his  pursuers  and  they 
saw  the  boy  was  likely  to  get  away,  one  raised 
his  rifle  and  sent  a  bullet  after  him,  which  fract 
ured  the  radius  of  his  left  arm. 

"Well,  Chiquita,"  said  Henry,  as  he  turned 
fairly  into  the  Prescott  trail  and  had  realized 
the  exact  nature  of  his  injuries,  "you  haven't 
got  a  scratch,  and  are  good  for  this  run  if  I  can 
hold  out." 

It  was  dusk  when  Henry  began  his  ride,  and  it 
256 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

rapidly  grew  darker  as  he  hurried  along  the  trail. 
Neither  he  nor  the  pony  had  been  over  it  before. 
Twice  he  got  off  the  trail,  and  long  and  miserable 
stretches  of  time  elapsed  iu  regaining  it ;  but  the 
fort  was  reached  at  last  and  the  alarm  given. 


XVII 

PURSUIT   OF   THE    APACHES 

WITH  twenty-eight  men,  including  two  scouts 
picked  up  as  we  passed  through  Prescott, 
and  the  post  surgeon,  I  left  for  Skull  Valley. 
The  night  was  moonless,  but  the  myriad  stars 
shone  brilliantly  through  the  rarefied  atmos 
phere  of  that  Western  region,  lighting  the  trail 
and  making  it  fairly  easy  to  follow.  It  was 
a  narrow  pathway,  with  but  few  places  where 
two  horsemen  could  ride  abreast,  so  conversa 
tion  was  almost  impossible,  and  few  words,  ex 
cept  those  of  command,  were  spoken;  nor  were 
the  men  in  a  mood  to  talk.  All  were  more  or 
less  excited  and  impatient,  and,  wherever  the 
road  would  permit,  urged  their  horses  to  a  run. 

The  trail  climbed  and  descended  rugged  steeps, 
crossed  smooth  intervals,  skirted  the  edges  of 
precipices,  wound  along  borders  of  dry  creeks, 
and  threaded  forests  of  pine  and  clumps  of  sage- 

258 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

brush  and  greasewood.  Throughout  the  ride  the 
imaginations  of  officers  and  men  were  depicting 
the  scenes  they  feared  were  being  enacted  in  the 
valley,  or  which  might  take  place  should  they  fail 
to  arrive  in  time  to  prevent. 

It  is  needless  to  say,  perhaps,  that  the  one  per 
son  about  whom  the  thoughts  of  the  men  com 
posing  the  rescuing  party  centred  was  the  gentle, 
bright,  and  pretty  Brenda.  To  think  of  her  fall 
ing  into  the  hands  of  the  merciless  Apaches  was 
almost  maddening. 

On  and  on  rode  the  column,  the  men  giving 
their  panting  steeds  no  more  rest  than  the  nature 
of  the  road  and  the  success  of  the  expedition  re 
quired.  At  last  we  reached  the  spur  of  the 
range  behind  which  lay  Skull  Valley.  We  skirted 
it,  and  with  anxious  eyes  sought  through  the 
darkness  the  place  where  the  ranch  buildings 
should  be.  All  was  silence.  No  report  of  fire 
arms  or  whoop  of  savages  disturbed  the  quiet  of 
the  valley. 

Ascending  a  swell  in  the  surface  of  the  ground 

we  saw  that  all  the  buildings  had  disappeared, 

nothing  meeting  our  anxious  gaze  but  beds  of 

lurid  coals,  occasionally  fanned  into  a  red  glow 

259 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

by  the  intermittent  night  breeze.  But  there  was 
the  impregnable  earthwork ;  the  family  must  be 
in  that.  I  dashed  swiftly  forward,  eagerly  fol 
lowed  by  my  men.  The  earthwork  was  destroy 
ed,  nothing  but  a  circular  pit  remaining,  in  the 
bottom  of  which  glowed  the  embers  of  the  fallen 
roof-timbers. 

A  search  for  the  slain  was  at  once  begun, 
and  continued  for  a  long  time.  Every  square 
rod  of  the  valley  for  a  mile  was  hunted  over 
without  result,  and  we  all  gathered  once  more 
about  the  two  cellars,  in  which  the  coals  still 
glowed. 

"It  was  in  the  cellar  of  the  house  that  Sergeant 
Henry  said  the  body  of  Mrs.  Arnold  was  laid, 
was  it  not?"  asked  Dr.  Coues. 

"Yes,"  I  replied. 

"Then  if  all  were  killed  after  he  left — shot 
from  time  to  time— would  not  their  remains  be 
likely  to  be  beside  hers?" 

"Not  beside  hers,  I  think.  The  last  stand 
must  have  been  made  in  the  fort." 

"Then  the  bodies,  or  what  is  left  of  them, 
must  lie  under  that  circular  bed  of  coals,  Dun 
can,  if  they  died  here." 
260 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Probably,  doctor.  It's  an  uncanny  thing  to 
do,  but  we  must  stir  the  coals  and  see." 

A  thorough  search  revealed  nothing. 

"  Does  th'  liftinint  moind  that  Sargint  Hinery 
mintioned  a  covered  way  that  led  from  th'  cellar 
to  th'  spring?"  asked  Private  Tom  Clary,  who 
wielded  a  rail  beside  me.  "  Perhaps  th'  pretty 
lassie  and  her  f rinds  are  in  that." 

"That  is  so,  Clary;  thank  you  for  the  sugges 
tion,"  I  answered.  "Can  you  make  out  the 
opening?" 

"  Nothin'  sure,  sor.  Behoind  thim  wagon- 
tires  there  sames  to  be  a  natural  slope  of  earth." 

"Tip  the  tires  over,  Clary,"  I  ordered;  and 
presently  a  number  of  tires,  from  which  the  fire 
had  burned  the  felloes,  spokes,  and  hubs,  fell  into 
the  coals,  disclosing  a  recently  rilled  aperture. 

"  Looks  as  if  the  end  of  a  passage  had  been 
filled,  doesn't  it?"  asked  the  surgeon. 

"  It  certainly  does,"  I  answered.  "Let  us  go 
to  the  spring  and  examine." 

Accompanied  by  the  doctor  and  several  men, 

I  rode  to  the  spring.     When  we  arrived  there 

we  broke  a  way  through  the  thick-set  willows 

into  an  irregular  mass  of  small  bowlders.    Climb- 

261 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ing  over  these,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  mouth 
of  a  narrow  passage  about  four  feet  high  and  two 
feet  wide. 

"This  must  be  the  entrance  to  the  covered 
way,"  I  remarked,  and  placing  my  head  in  the 
crevice,  I  called:  "  Oh,  Mr.  Arnold,  we  are  here— 
your  friends  from  Fort  Whipple!" 

"Thank  Heaven!"  in  a  man's  tones,  came 
clearly  through  the  entrance,  accompanied  by  a 
sudden  outburst  of  sobs  in  girlish  voices. 

"  We'll  be  there  directly,"  spoke  another  man's 
voice — that  of  a  stranger.  "  We've  heard  your 
horses'  hoofs  jarring  the  ground  for  some  time, 
but  we  thought  it  safest  to  lay  low  until  we  were 
sure  it  wasn't  redskins." 

Then  followed  the  sound  of  steps,  accompanied 
by  voices,  sounding  at  the  entrance,  as  a  voice 
spoken  in  a  long  tube  appears  to  be  uttered  at 
the  listener's  end.  Some  time  elapsed  before 
those  who  seemed  so  near  appeared ;  but  at  last 
there  emerged  from  the  passage  Mr.  Arnold,  two 
strange  men,  and  three  girls — but  no  Brenda. 

"Where  is  Brenda,  Mr.  Arnold?"  I  asked. 

"  Heaven  only  knows,  lieutenant.  She  gave 
herself  up  to  the  Apaches." 

262 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Gave  herself  up  to  the  Apaches!  What  do 
you  mean?" 

"That's  precisely  what  she  did,  lieutenant," 
said  one  of  the  strangers,  adding:  "My  name  is 
Bartlett,  from  Hassayampa,  and  this  is  Mr. 
Gilbert,  from  Tucson.  We  were  on  our  way 
from  La  Paz  to  Prescott  and  stopped  here  for 
a  meal,  and  got  corralled  by  the  Indians.  But 
about  the  girl  Brenda :  she  took  it  into  her  head, 
after  we  got  into  the  little  fort,  that  unless  some 
one  could  create  a  diversion  to  mislead  the  devils, 
we'd  all  lose  our  scalps." 

"That  beautiful  young  girl!  Gave  herself  up 
to  certain  torture  and  death!  Why  did  you 
allow  it?" 

"Allow  it!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Bartlett,  indig 
nantly.  "I  hope,  lieutenant,  you  don't  think 
so  hard  of  me  and  my  friend  as  to  believe  we'd 
have  allowed  it  if  we'd  suspected  what  the 
plucky  miss  meant  to  do!" 

"Tell  me  the  circumstances,  Mr.  Bartlett," 
said  I. 

The  party  moved  slowly  along  the  path  from 
the  spring  to  the  fires,  and  as  they  walked  Mr. 
Arnold  and  the  travellers  gave  an  account  of  all 

263 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

that  had  happened  after  Sergeant  Henry  left  for 
Fort  Whipple. 

The  burning  arrows  sent  to  the  pitch-pine  roof 
became  so  numerous  that  the  besieged  found  it 
impossible  to  prevent  the  flames  from  catching 
in  several  places.  Henry  was  hardly  out  of 
sight  before  the  house  became  untenable,  and 
the  defenders  were  obliged  to  retire  to  the  fort. 
When  the  house  was  consumed,  and  its  tim 
bers  had  fallen  into  the  cellar  a  mass  of  burn 
ing  brands,  the  space  about  the  earthwork  was 
clear,  and  the  rifles  at  its  loop-holes  kept  the 
Indians  close  within  the  out-building  they  had 
occupied  since  the  attack  began.  No  one  dared 
to  show  himself  to  the  unerring  marksmen,  who 
watched  every  movement. 

For  a  long  time  silence  reigned  among  the 
Indians.  The  whites,  however,  felt  sure  that 
plans  were  being  matured  which  meant  disaster 
to  them. 

At  last  these  plans  were  revealed  in  a  constant 
and  rapid  flight  of  arrows,  directed  at  a  point 
between  two  loop-holes — a  point  which  could 
not  be  reached  by  the  besieged,  and  where,  if  a 
considerable  collection  of  burning  brands  could 

264 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

be  heaped  against  the  logs,  between  the  earth 
and  the  eaves,  the  pine  walls  and  rafters  must 
take  fire.  Walls  and  roof  were  too  solid  to  be 
cut  away,  and  water  could  not  reach  the  outside. 

The  defenders,  when  they  realized  what  the 
result  of  a  fire  would  be,  held  a  consultation, 
and  decided  that  in  the  event  of  the  fire  getting 
control  of  the  fort  they  should  retire  into  the 
covered  way,  block  up  the  entrance  with  earth, 
and  remain  there  until  help  should  arrive.  It 
was  thought  the  Indians  would  suppose  all  had 
perished  in  the  flames. 

"  But  they  know  we  came  here  by  an  under 
ground  passage  from  the  house,"  said  Brenda; 
"  will  they  not  suspect  we  have  entered  another 
passage  if  we  all  disappear?" 

"  P'r'aps  they  may,"  answered  Mr.  Arnold;  "  I 
had  not  thought  of  that.  We'll  have  to  take 
our  chances." 

"If  one  of  us  was  to  appear  to  escape  from 
here,  and  join  them,"  continued  the  girl,  "  I  think 
they  would  suppose  the  others  had  perished,  and 
make  no  search." 

"That  may  be  true,  but  I'll  take  my  chances 
here,"  said  Mr.  Gilbert. 

265 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"So  will  I,"  said  his  companion.  "A  fellow 
wouldn't  last  a  minute  outside  this  fort.  I  pre 
fer  smothering  to  the  death  those  devils  will  give 
me." 

It  soon  became  evident  to  the  besieged  that 
the  outer  wall  was  on  fire. 

The  sun  had  gone  down  and  darkness  was 
deepening  in  the  valley  when  the  first  tongue 
of  flame  licked  through  a  crevice  in  the  roof  and 
showed  that  the  fire  had  gained  a  foothold.  Soon 
a  hole  appeared,  close  to  the  eaves,  which  gradu 
ally  enlarged  towards  the  centre  of  the  roof  and 
along  the  surface  of  the  earth.  With  blankets 
the  fire  was  beaten  out  on  the  sides,  but  it  crept 
insidiously  along  between  the  timber  and  earth 
covering. 

In  making  the  roof,  branches  of  pine  had  been 
spread  over  the  timber,  and  the  branches  in  turn 
covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  straw  to  prevent 
the  earth  from  filtering  between  the  logs.  This 
material  was  as  dry  as  tinder,  and  held  the  fire. 

The  men  stood  at  the  loop-holes  and  compelled 
the  savages  to  remain  under  cover  of  the  out 
building,  while  the  four  girls  exerted  themselves 
to  keep  the  fire  from  showing  inside.  Delay 
266 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

until  help  could  arrive  from  Whipple  was  what 
all  were  struggling  to  gain ;  but  the  increasing 
heat  and  smoke  showed  the  defenders  at  last 
that  they  could  no  longer  put  off  retiring  to 
the  covered  way. 

The  word  was  given  and  all  entered  it,  and 
the  men  with  shovels  began  to  close  the  entrance. 
When  it  was  a  little  more  than  half  closed  the 
hole  in  the  roof  had  become  triangular,  resem 
bling  the  space  between  two  spokes  and  a  felloe 
of  a  wheel.  On  the  earth,  or  felloe  side  of  the 
triangle,  there  was  no  fire;  but  the  other  sides 
were  burning  fiercely. 

Making  a  sudden  dash,  and  before  any  one 
could  realize  her  intention,  Brenda  leaped  past 
the  shovellers,  sprang  over  the  embankment  they 
were  throwing  up,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  bench 
sprang  up  the  four-foot  wall,  through  the  flame- 
bordered  aperture,  and  disappeared,  her  clothing 
apparently  in  a  blaze.  The  war-whoops  imme 
diately  ceased. 

No  attempt  at  pursuit  or  rescue  was  made. 

The  Arnolds  and  the  strangers  felt  that  it  would 

be  useless,  and  only  result  in  the  death  of  the 

pursuers.    The  work  of  closing  the  passage  was 

267 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

resumed  and  completed,  and  all  sat  down  to 
await  the  slow  flight  of  time  and  the  possible 
arrival  of  the  soldiers. 

After  listening  to  the  story  of  the  Arnolds  I 
concluded  that  Brenda  had  fallen  a  victim  to 
the  cruelty  of  the  Apaches,  and  that  we  should 
find  her  mutilated  and  disfigured  body.  A  rapid 
and  excited  search  was  at  once  began.  Far  and 
wide,  over  plain,  through  ravines,  and  into  the 
foot-hills  rode  the  soldiers,  leaving  no  part  of 
the  country  for  several  miles  around  unsearched ; 
but  not  a  trace  of  the  missing  girl  was  discov 
ered. 

Once  more  the  detachment  gathered  near  the 
ruins  of  the  Arnold  home,  and  began  prepara 
tions  for  returning  to  Whipple.  The  remains  of 
the  dead  wife  and  mother  were  lifted  from  be 
neath  the  charred  timbers  and  deposited  in  a 
grave  near  by.  While  the  burial  was  taking 
place,  the  two  scouts,  Weaver  and  Cooler,  were 
absent,  looking  for  the  Apache  trail.  Day  was 
dawning,  and  as  it  was  probable  when  they  re 
turned  that  the  command  could  start,  I  ordered 
the  horses  fed  from  the  loose  forage  scattered 
about,  and  the  men  to  prepare  their  breakfast. 
268 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

The  scouts  returned  as  the  men  were  dispers 
ing  from  their  meal,  and  Cooler  placed  in  my 
hand  a  dainty  lock  of  flaxen  hair,  wound  around 
the  middle  with  a  strand  of  the  same. 

"I  found  it,"  said  the  scout,  "beside  the  ra 
vine  yonder,  a  little  more  than  two  miles  from 
here.  The  young  miss  is  alive,  and  dropped  it 
for  a  '  sign.'  The  redskins  all  left  in  that  direc 
tion." 

Whatever  Brenda's  three  cousins  may  have 
lacked  in  education  and  cultivation,  they  wanted 
nothing  in  affection.  They  gathered  about  the 
little  tress,  took  it  daintily  in  their  palms,  kissed 
it  again  and  again,  and  moistened  it  with  tears. 
Low  sobs  and  endearing  names  for  the  brave 
darling  who  had  been  willing  to  sacrifice  her  life 
to  preserve  theirs  fell  from  their  lips.  Poor, 
rude,  frontier  maids,  they  had  shown  an  equal 
bravery  all  through  the  defence,  and  proved 
themselves  to  be  worthy  descendants  of  the  race 
that  lived  through  the  colonial  struggles  with 
the  Indians  of  the  Mohawk  Valley.  The  three 
girls  gathered  about  me,  and,  clinging  to  my 
arms,  besought  me  to  go  to  the  rescue  of  their 
cousin. 

269 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  Yes,  yes,  girls,"  I  replied;  "everything  shall 
be  done  that  possibly  can  be.  We  will  start 
at  once,  and  I  hope  to  bring  her  back  to  you." 
Turning  to  the  father,  I  said,  "Mr.  Arnold,  I 
will  leave  you  a  luncheon  for  the  road,  and  you 
must  try  to  make  the  distance  to  Prescott  on 
foot." 

"Yes,  sir;  we  can  do  it  easy,  thank  you." 

"I  would  leave  you  some  of  the  men  as  es 
cort,  but  in  such  an  expedition  I  need  more  than 
I  have." 

"  That's  all  right,  Mr.  Dunkin;  'f  I  had  a  beast 
I'd  go  with  ye.  There'll  be  no  Apaches  round 
these  parts  agin  for  a  considerable  spell,"  and 
his  eyes  ran  sadly  over  the  ruins  of  his  home,  the 
wreck  of  his  property,  resting  finally  on  the  grave 
of  his  wife. 

Yes,  Brenda  was  alive,  and  a  prisoner  of  the 
Apaches,  spared  by  them,  probably,  as  children 
sometimes  are  after  such  raids,  for  adoption.  It 
was  plainly  our  duty  to  rescue  her  from  the  fate 
of  a  continued  life  with  her  captors. 


XVIII 

ON  THE  TRAIL  OF  THE  APACHES 

AFTER  a  further  delay,  to  allow  the  scouts  and 
their  broncos  to  breakfast,  the  party  mounted 
and  turned  to  the  west.  Calling  Paul  Weaver 
to  ride  by  my  side,  I  questioned  him  about  the 
region  before  us. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  familiar  with  this  part  of 
the  country,  Paul?" 

"  Ought  t'  be.  Trapped  and  hunted  here  since 
I  was  twenty,  and  I'm  nigh  on  to  sixty-five 
now." 

"Have  these  Apaches  a  camping-place  near 
here?" 

"Yes;  they  spend  a  part  of  every  year  here 
abouts,  gatherin'  mezcal.  From  the  direction 
they've  took,  I  b'lieve  they're  goin'  to  Santy 
Maree  Creek." 

"That  flows  into  Bill  Williams  Fork,  does  it 
not?" 

271 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Yes,  an'  't  has  a  northern  and  southern 
branch.  One  of  th'  favorite  campin'-places  of 
th'  Mezcalleros  's  on  th'  southern  branch." 

"How  far  is  it  from  here?" 

"  'Bout  fifty  mile." 

"Easy  of  approach?" 

"Toler'ble;  good  ridin'  all  th'  way,  'cept  a  bit 
of  bowlder  country  on  a  divide." 

"  Is  the  camp  open  to  attack?" 

"Wide  open  arter  yer  git  into  th'  valley. 
There's  a  waterfall,  or,  rather,  a  piece  of  rips 
ther'  that  '11  drown  th'  n'ise  of  our  comin'." 

"  Isn't  it  strange  Indians  should  camp  in  such 
a  place?" 

"They're  Mezcallero  'Paches,  and  the'r  food, 
th'  mezcal,  grows  thick  round  ther'.  'Sides, 
ther's  no  other  place  on  th'  stream  combinin' 
grazin'  and  waterin',  and  they've  never  been 
hunted  into  that  region  yit." 

"Well,  Paul,  they  will  be  now." 

I  urged  the  men  on  as  fast  as  possible,  taking 
care  not  to  exhaust  the  horses  and  unfit  them 
for  a  long  pursuit.  The  soldiers  were  animated 
by  a  strong  desire  to  punish  the  Indians  for 
their  treatment  of  the  family  in  Skull  Valley,  and 
272 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

were  excited  by  the  fear  that  the  gentle  and 
beautiful  young  girl  in  their  hands  might  fall  a 
victim  to  some  barbaric  cruelty  before  they 
could  be  overtaken,  so  that  the  animals  were 
constantly  urged  close  to  their  powers  of  en 
durance. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  as  the 
soldiers  were  riding  up  a  canon,  on  each  side  of 
which  rose  rugged  sandstone  precipices,  we  came 
to  a  fork  in  the  trail  and  the  canon.  Not  only 
the  track  parted,  but,  judging  from  footprints, 
most  of  the  captured  stock  had  passed  to  the 
right.  Weaver  said  the  right-hand  path  led  to 
the  northern  branch  of  the  Santa  Maria,  and  the 
left  to  the  southern. 

I  halted  the  detachment,  perplexed.  To  di 
vide  my  party  of  twenty-nine  in  order  to  follow 
both  trails  seemed  to  me  to  be  inviting  disaster. 
To  take  the  whole  number  over  a  wrong  trail 
and  not  rescue  Brenda  was  a  course  to  be  dreaded. 
I  called  up  the  scouts,  Weaver  and  Cooler,  for  a 
consultation. 

"  Don't  you  think  it  is  probable,"  I  asked,  that 
a  girl  who  was  thoughtful  enough  to  drop  a 
'  sign '  to  show  she  is  alive  and  a  captive,  would 
is  273 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

be  likely  to  give  a  hint  here  as  to  which  trail  she 
was  taken  over?" 

"That's  prob'ble,  liftinint,"  replied  Weaver. 
"  'F  you'll  hold  th'  boys  here  a  bit,  George  an'  I'll 
ride  up  th'  two  trails  a  piece  an'  look  for  signs." 

"Go  quite  a  distance,  too.  She  might  not 
get  an  opportunity  to  drop  anything  for  some 
time  after  leaving  the  fork." 

"That's  true,  sir,"  said  Cooler;  "the  red 
skins  would  naturally  be  watching  her  closely. 
Which  way  will  you  go,  Paul?" 

"Let  the  liftinint  say,"  answered  the  elder 
scout,  tightening  his  belt  and  readjusting  his 
equipments  for  resuming  his  riding. 

"All  ready,  then,"  said  I.  "You  take  the 
right,  Weaver,  and  George  the  left.  While  you 
are  gone  we'll  turn  out  the  stock." 

The  scouts  departed,  and  a  few  moments  later 
the  horses  of  the  command  were  cropping  the 
rich  grass  of  the  narrow  valley,  sentinels  were 
placed  to  watch  them  and  look  for  the  return 
of  the  guides,  and  the  rest  of  the  men  threw 
themselves  upon  the  turf  to  rest. 

An  hour  passed  away,  when  Weaver  was  seen 
returning  from  the  northern  trail.  As  he  ap- 

274 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

preached  he  held  something  above  his  head. 
Directing  the  horses  to  be  made  ready,  I  walked 
forward  to  meet  him,  and  received  from  his 
hand  a  small  bow  of  blue  ribbon,  which  I  at  once 
recognized  to  be  the  property  of  Brenda. 

It  now  appeared  certain  the  girl  captive  had 
been  taken  over  the  road  to  the  right ;  so,  with 
out  waiting  for  the  return  of  Cooler,  the  men 
were  ordered  into  their  saddles,  and  we  started 
along  the  northern  trail.  Our  march  had  not 
long  continued,  however,  when  Private  Tom 
Clary,  who  was  riding  in  the  rear,  called  to  me. 
Looking  back,  I  saw  the  young  scout  galloping 
rapidly  forward  and  waving  his  hat  in  a  beckon 
ing  manner. 

A  halt  was  ordered,  and  Cooler  rode  up  to  me 
and  placed  in  my  hand  a  lock  of  flaxen  hair, 
bound  with  a  thread  of  the  same.  Placed  by  the 
other  they  were  twin  tresses,  except  that  the 
last  was  slightly  singed  by  fire. 

Well,  tears  glistened  on  the  eyelids  of  some  of 
the  bronzed  veterans  at  the  sight  of  the  tiny  lock 
of  hair.  We  had  barely  escaped  taking  the  wrong 
trail. 

"God  bliss  the  darlint,".  said  grizzled  Tom 
275 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Clary.  "  There's  not  a  ridskin  can  bate  her  with 
their  tricks.  We'll  bring  her  back  to  her  frinds, 
b'ys,  or  it  '11  go  hard  wid  us." 

Clary's  remarks  were  subscribed  to  by  many 
hearty  exclamations  on  the  part  of  his  fellow- 
soldiers.  We  had  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
that  the  Apaches  had  expected  to  be  pursued 
and  had  dropped  the  ribbon  to  mislead  us,  and 
that  Brenda  had  dropped  her  "sign"  to  set  her 
friends  right. 

I  asked  the  guides  if  it  was  not  probable  the 
Apaches  had  set  a  watch  on  the  overlooking 
heights  to  see  which  road  we  should  take  at  this 
point. 

"It's  sartin',  liftinint,"  answered  Weaver; 
"they're  watchin'  us  sharp  jest  now." 

"  Then  we  had  better  continue  on  the  northern 
trail  awhile  and  mislead  them,  you  think?" 

"That's  it,  liftinint.  That's  th'  best  thing  to 
do.  We  needn't  reach  their  camp  until  after 
midnight,  an'  we  might  's  well  spend  th'  time 
misleadin'  em." 

"Yes,  and  it  '11  be  better  to  reach  them  a  few 
hours  after  midnight,  too,"  added  Cooler;  "they 
sleep  soundest  then." 

276 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"Then  we  will  go  on  as  we  began  for  some 
time  longer,"  I  replied,  and  the  soldiers  again 
moved  at  a  brisk  canter  over  the  northern  trail. 

An  hour  passed,  and  a  halt  was  made  in  a 
grassy  nook,  where  the  horses  were  turned  out 
to  graze  until  dusk.  Our  route  was  then  re 
traced  to  the  fork  and  the  march  resumed  over 
the  southern  branch. 

Night  overtook  us  on  a  high  ridge  covered 
with  loose,  rounded  bowlders,  over  which  it  was 
necessary  to  lead  the  horses  slowly,  with  con 
siderable  clatter  and  some  bruises  to  man  and 
beast.  The  rough  road  lasted  until  a  consider 
able  descent  was  made  on  the  western  side,  and 
ended  on  the  edge  of  a  grassy  valley. 

At  this  point  Weaver  advised  that  the  horses 
should  be  left  and  the  command  proceed  on 
foot;  for  if  the  Indians  were  in  camp  at  the 
rapids  it  would  be  impossible  to  approach  mount 
ed  without  alarming  them,  while  if  on  foot  the 
noise  of  the  rushing  water  would  cover  the  sound 
of  all  movements. 

Six  men  were  sent  back  to  a  narrow  defile  to 
prevent  the  attacking  party  from  being  sur 
prised  by  the  detachment  of  Indians  which  had 
C77 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

taken  the  northern  trail,  should  they  intend  to 
rejoin  their  friends  at  the  rapids.  Upon  the 
recommendation  of  the  scouts  I  determined  to 
defer  making  an  attack  until  after  three  o'clock, 
for  they  assured  me  that  at  that  time  the  enemy 
would  be  feeling  quite  secure  from  pursuit  and 
be  in  their  deepest  sleep. 

The  horses  were  picketed,  guards  posted,  and 
a  lunch  distributed,  and  all  not  on  duty  lay 
down  to  wait.  Time  dragged  slowly.  About 
one  o'clock  a  noise  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
creek  attracted  attention,  and  Cooler  crept  away 
in  the  darkness  to  ascertain  its  cause.  In  half 
an  hour  he  returned  with  the  information  that 
the  party  of  Mezcalleros  who  had  taken  the 
northern  trail  had  rejoined  their  friends  and 
turned  their  animals  into  the  general  herd. 
Upon  learning  this  I  despatched  a  messen 
ger  to  call  in  the  six  men  sent  to  guard  the 
defile. 

When  the  time  for  starting  arrived  one  man 
only  was  left  with  the  picketed  horses,  and  the 
rest  of  us  slipped  down  the  slope  to  the  river- 
bottom,  taking  care  not  to  rattle  arms  and  equip 
ments,  and  began  a  slow  advance  along  a  narrow 
278 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

pathway,  the  borders  of  which  were  lined  with 
the  spiked  vegetation  of  the  country. 

Moving  on  for  some  time,  I  judged  from  the 
sound  of  flowing  water  that  we  were  nearing  the 
camp,  and,  halting  the  party,  sent  the  scouts  to 
reconnoitre.  They  returned  with  the  informa 
tion  that  the  camp  was  close  at  hand,  and  con 
tained  thirteen  mat  and  skin  covered  tents,  or 
huts,  and  that  the  stolen  stock  and  Indian  ponies 
were  grazing  on  a  flat  just  beyond.  No  guards 
were  visible. 

The  flat  about  the  encampment  was  covered 
with  Spanish-bayonet,  soapweed,  and  cacti,  with 
here  and  there  a  variety  of  palmetto,  which  at 
tains  a  height  of  about  twenty -five  feet,  the 
trunks  shaggy  with  a  fringe  of  dead  spines  left 
by  each  year's  growth.  Cooler  suggested  that 
at  a  given  signal  the  trunks  of  two  of  these  trees 
should  be  set  on  fire  to  light  up  the  camp,  and 
enable  the  soldiers  to  pick  off  the  Apaches  as  they 
left  their  shelter  when  our  attack  should  begin. 
He  also  proposed  that  we  yell,  saying:  "If  you 
out-yell  'em,  lieutenant,  you  can  out-fight  'em." 

Although  I  seriously  doubted  whether  twenty- 
five  white  throats  could  make  as  much  noise  as 
279 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

half  a  dozen  red  ones,  I  consented  to  the  propo 
sition.  I  sent  nine  men  to  the  flat  upon  which 
the  ponies  and  cattle  were  grazing,  with  orders 
to  place  themselves  between  the  creek  and  herd, 
and  when  the  firing  began  drive  the  animals  into 
the  hills. 

When  these  instructions  had  been  given,  Sur 
geon  Coues  asked  me  if  the  firing  would  be  di 
rected  into  the  tents. 

"Yes,  doctor,"  I  replied. 

"Of  course,  Miss  Brenda  is  in  one  of  them," 
he  observed. 

"Yes,  and  if  we  shoot  into  them  indiscrimi 
nately  we  are  quite  as  likely  to  hit  her  as  any 
one." 

"Can  you  think  of  any  way  of  locating  her?" 

"  No ;  I  am  at  a  dead  loss.  We  will  try  Cooler's 
plan  of  yelling,  and  perhaps  that  will  bring  the 
Indians  out." 

I  sent  Clary,  who  had  been  directed  to  remain 
near  me,  for  Sergeant  Rafferty,  and  when  the 
sergeant  appeared  directed  him  to  forbid  any 
one  to  fire  a  shot  until  ordered  to  do  so. 


ORDERS  were  passed  and  dispositions  so  made 
that  one-half  the  force  was  placed  on  each  flank 
of  the  camp.  All  movements  were  made  at  a  con 
siderable  distance  from  the  place  to  be  attacked, 
and  the  utmost  care  taken  not  to  make  a  sound 
that  would  alarm  the  sleeping  foe.  Once  on  the 
flanks,  the  men  were  to  creep  up  slowly  and 
stealthily  to  effective  rifle  range.  When  the 
trunks  of  the  palmettos  were  lighted  all  were  to 
yell  as  diabolically  as  possible,  and  fire  at  every 
Indian  that  showed  himself. 

The  front  of  the  camp  looked  towards  the 
creek,  which  flowed  over  bowlders  and  pebbles 
with  a  great  rush  and  roar.  The  Indians  were 
expected  in  their  flight  to  make  a  dash  for  the 
stream,  and  attempt  to  pass  through  the  shoal 
rapids  to  the  wooded  bluffs  beyond.  My  instruc 
tions  were  for  the  men  to  screen  themselves  on 
281 


CAPTURED    BY   THE    NAVAJOS 

the  flanks,  behind  the  yuccas,  Spanish-bayonet, 
emole,  and  cacti.  Accompanied  by  Tom  Clary 
and  Paul  Weaver,  I  selected  a  clump  of  vegeta 
tion  on  the  northern  side,  from  which  the  front 
of  the  tents  could  be  observed.  Sergeant  Raf- 
ferty,  with  George  Cooler,  was  on  the  opposite 
flank,  and  the  lighting  of  a  tree  on  my  side  was 
to  be  the  signal  for  one  to  be  lighted  on  the 
other,  and  for  the  yelling  to  begin. 

This  plan  was  carried  out.  The  flash  of  one 
match  was  followed  promptly  by  the  flash  of 
another.  Two  flames  burst  forth,  and  rapidly 
climbed  the  shaggy  trunks  of  the  little  palms, 
lighting  up  the  whole  locality.  At  the  same  in 
stant  an  imitation  war-whoop  burst  from  vigor 
ous  lungs  and  throats. 

Every  one  held  his  rifle  in  readiness  to  shoot 
the  escaping  Apaches,  but  not  a  redskin  showed 
his  jetty  head.  The  soldiers  yelled  and  yelled, 
practising  every  variation  ingenuity  could  invent 
in  the  vain  attempt  to  make  their  tame  white- 
man  utterances  resemble  the  blood  -  curdling, 
hair-raising,  heart-jumping  shrieks  of  their  Ind 
ian  foes,  now  so  strangely  silent.  Not  a  savage 
responded  vocally  or  otherwise. 

282 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

But  for  the  presence  of  the  captive  girl  in  one 
of  the  thirteen  tents  the  attack  would  have  be 
gun  by  riddling  the  thinly  covered  shelters  with 
bullets  at  low  range. 

The  two  burning  trees  had  gone  out  and  two 
others  had  been  lighted,  and  it  soon  appeared 
evident  that  if  something  was  not  done  to  bring 
out  the  foe  the  supply  of  torches  would  soon  be 
exhausted  and  nothing  accomplished.  In  the 
darkness  the  advantage  might  even  turn  to  the 
side  of  the  redman. 

Surgeon  Coues,  who  reclined  near  me,  asked: 
"Do  you  think  any  of  those  fellows  understand 
English?" 

"  Perhaps  a  few  common  phrases.  They  know 
Spanish  fairly  well  from  living  for  some  centuries 
near  the  Mexicans." 

"Are  they  quite  as  old  as  that,  lieutenant?" 
"You  know  what  I  mean,  doctor." 
"  Why  not  speak  to  Brenda  in  English,  and  ask 
her  to  try  to  show  us  where  she  is?    The  Apaches 
will  not  understand — will  think  you  are  talking 
to  your  men." 

"An  excellent  idea,  doctor.     I'll  try  it." 
Private  Tom  Clary  was  sent  along  both  flanks 
283 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

with  orders  for  all  yelling  to  cease  and  for  per 
fect  quiet  to  be  maintained.  Then,  acting  upon 
Mie  surgeon's  suggestion,  I  called,  in  a  clear,  loud 
troice : 

"  Brenda,  we  are  here — your  friends  from  the 
fort.  Your  relatives  are  safe.  Try  to  make  a 
signal,  or  do  something  by  which  we  can  learn 
where  you  are.  Take  plenty  of  time,  and  do 
nothing  to  endanger  your  life." 

A  long  silence  ensued,  during  which  two  more 
pillars  of  fire  burned  out.  I  was  beginning  to 
fear  I  should  be  obliged  to  offer  terms  to  the 
Indians,  leaving  them  unhurt  if  they  would  yield 
up  their  captive  and  the  stolen  stock ;  but  before 
I  had  fully  considered  this  alternative  Clary, 
who  was  returning  along  the  rear  of  the  line  of 
tents  from  his  recent  errand,  approached  and 
said:  "Liftinint,  as  I  was  crapin'  along  behoind 
th'  wiggies  I  saw  somethin'  loike  a  purty  white 
hand  stickin'  out  from  undher  th'  edge  of  th' 
third  from  this  ind." 

"  Show  it  to  me,"  said  I.     "  I'll  go  with  you." 

Making  a  slight  detour  to  the  rear,  the  soldier 
and  I  crept  up  to  the  back  of  the  tent  indicated, 
pausing  at  a  distance  of  twenty  feet  from  it. 

284 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

Nothing  definite  could  be  made  out  in  the  dark 
ness.  A  narrow,  white  object  was  visible  be 
neath  the  lower  edge.  Sending  Clary  back  a 
few  yards  to  light  up  a  palm,  I  fixed  my  eyes  on 
the  object  mentioned,  and  as  the  flames  leaped 
up  the  trunk  perceived  by  the  flaring  light  a 
small,  white  hand,  holding  in  its  fingers  the  loose 
tresses  of  Brenda's  hair.  The  question  was  set 
tled.  The  captive  girl  was  in  the  third  tent  from 
the  right  of  the  line. 

Waiting  until  the  fire  went  out,  Clary  and  I 
made  our  way  back  to  our  former  station. 

"Go  around  the  lines  again,  Clary,  and  tell 
Sergeant  Rafferty  to  move  his  men  to  a  point 
from  which  he  can  cover  the  rear  of  the  camp, 
and  open  fire  on  all  the  tents  except  the  third 
from  the  right." 

"All  roight,  sor;  th'  b'ys  '11  soon  mak'  it  loive- 
ly  for  th'  rids." 

"Tell  the  sergeant  to  light  up  some  trees." 

"Yes,  sor." 

I  then  crept  slowly  back  to  my  own  flank,  and 
ordered  a  disposition  of  my  half  of  the  party  so 
as  to  command  the  space  in  front  of  the  line  of 
tents.  In  another  instant  the  flames  were  as- 

281 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

ce&ding  two  tree- trunks,  and  the  rapid  cracking 
of  rifles  broke  our  long  reserve.  With  the  first 
scream  of  a  bullet  through  their  flimsy  shelters 
the  Indians  leaped  out  and  ran  for  the  river. 
Pew  fell.  Rapid  zigzags  and  the  swinging  of 
blankets  and  arms  as  they  ran  confused  the  aim 
of  the  soldiers.  In  less  than  five  minutes  the 
last  Apache  was  out  of  sight,  and  the  firing  had 
ceased. 

We  dashed  up  to  the  tents,  and  I  rushed  to  the 
one  from  which  I  had  seen  the  hand  and  tress 
thrust  out,  and  called,  "Brenda!"  There  was 
no  response  or  sound.  Looking  into  the  en 
trance,  I  saw  in  the  dim  light  of  the  awaken 
ing  day  the  figure  of  a  girl  lying  on  her  back, 
her  feet  extended  towards  me,  and  her  head 
touching  the  rear  wall.  The  right  arm  lay  along 
her  side,  and  the  left  was  thrown  above  her  head, 
the  fingers  still  holding  her  hair. 

A  terrible  fear  seized  my  heart.  I  again  called 
the  girl  by  her  name,  but  received  no  answer. 
I  went  in,  and  with  nervous  fingers  lighted  a 
match  and  stooped  beside  her.  Horror-stricken, 
t  saw  a  stream  of  blood  threading  its  way  across 
the  earthern  floor  from  her  left  side.  I  shouted 


CAPTURED    BY   THE    NAVAJOS 

for  Dr.  Coues,  and  the  surgeon  hurried  in.  From 
his  instrument  -  case  he  took  a  small,  portable 
lamp,  and,  lighting  it,  fell  upon  his  knees  beside 
the  prostrate  girl. 

During  the  following  few  moments,  while  the 
skilled  fingers  of  the  firm-nerved  surgeon  were 
cutting  away  clothing  to  expose  the  nature  of 
the  wound,  my  thoughts  found  time  to  wander 
to  the  distant  family,  on  its  way  to  the  fort,  and 
to  the  boy  sergeants  there.  I  thought  what  a 
sad  message  it  would  be  my  province  to  bear 
to  them,  should  this  dear  relative  and  cherished 
friend  die  by  savage  hands. 

There  was  little  hope  that  the  pretty  girl  could 
live.  To  me  she  seemed  already  claimed  by 
death.  She  who  had  made  our  long  and  weary 
march  from  Wingate  to  Whipple  so  pleasant  by 
her  vivacity  and  intelligence,  and  had  latterly 
brightened  our  occasional  visits  to  Skull  Valley, 
was  to  die  in  this  wretched  hole. 

But  the  tactus  eruditus  of  the  young  surgeon 
was  continuing  the  search  for  some  evidence  that 
the  savage  stab  was  not  fatal,  and  his  mind  was 
busy  with  means  for  preserving  life,  should  there 
be  a  chance.  I  watched  his  motions,  and  assisted 

287 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

now  and  then  when  asked,  and  waited  with 
strained  patience  for  a  word  upon  which  to  base 
a  hope. 

At  last  the  surgeon  gently  dropped  the  hand 
whose  pulse  he  had  long  been  examining,  and 
said :  "  She  is  alive,  and  that  is  about  all  that  can 
be  said.  You  see,  her  hands,  arms,  and  neck  are 
badly  scorched  by  the  dash  she  made  through 
the  fire  at  the  ranch.  Then  this  wicked  knife- 
thrust  has  paralyzed  her.  She  has  bled  consid 
erably,  too,  but  she  lives.  Press  your  finger  upon 
this  artery — here." 

"Can  she  be  made  to  live,  doctor?" 

"  The  knife  has  not  touched  a  vital  part,  but 
it  may  have  done  irreparable  injury.  I  can  tell 
more  presently." 

Nothing  more  was  said,  except  in  the  way  of 
direction,  for  some  time,  the  surgeon  working 
slowly  and  skilfully  at  the  wound.  At  last,  re 
arranging  the  girl's  clothing  and  replacing  his 
instruments  in  their  case,  he  said:  "  If  I  had  the 
girl  in  the  post-hospital,  or  in  a  civilized  dwelling, 
with  a  good  nurse,  I  think  she  might  recover." 

"  Can't  we  give  her  the  proper  attendance  here, 
doctor?"  I  asked. 

288 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

"  I  fear  not.  She  ought  to  have  a  woman's 
gentle  care,  for  one  thing,  and  some  remedies 
and  appliances  I  haven't  with  me  for  such  a  deli 
cate  case.  It  is  the  long  distance  between  here 
and  the  fort,  and  the  rough  road,  that  make 
the  outlook  hopeless.  She  cannot  survive  such 
a  journey." 

"Then  we  will  remain  here,  doctor,"  said  I. 
"  Write  out  a  list  of  what  you  want,  and  I  will  send 
a  man  to  Whipple  for  tents  and  supplies,  a  camp 
woman,  Frank,  Vic,  and  the  elder  Arnold  girl." 

"Duncan,  you  are  inspired!"  exclaimed  the 
doctor.  "I'll  have  my  order  ready  by  the  time 
the  messenger  reports,  and  then  we'll  make 
Brenda  comfortable." 

A  letter  was  written  to  Captain  Bayard,  the 
surgeon's  memoranda  enclosed,  and  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  afterwards  fleet-footed  Sancho  was  flying 
over  the  sixty  miles  to  Fort  Whipple  as  fast  as 
Private  Tom  Clary  could  ride  him.  Three  days 
later  a  pack-train  arrived,  with  a  laundress  from 
the  infantry  company,  Frank  Burton,  and  Mary 
Arnold,  and  with  stores  and  supplies  necessary 
for  setting  up  a  sick-camp.  The  wounded  girl 
mended  rapidly  from  the  start. 

19  289 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

In  due  time  Brenda  recovered  sufficiently  to 
bear  transportation  to  Prescott,  where  she  joined 
her  uncle  and  cousins.  Rapid  changes  quickly 
followed.  I  received  orders  directing  me  to  re 
port  for  duty  at  once  at  the  Seabury  Military 
School,  and  by  the  same  mail  came  letters  from 
Colonel  Burton  directing  his  sons  to  accompany 
me.  At  the  end  of  the  next  fortnight,  just  as  we 
were  packed  for  a  journey  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
Brenda  received  instructions  from  her  maternal 
relatives  to  make  the  same  journey,  and  joined  us. 

Frank  and  Henry's  project  to  transport  their 
ponies  East,  and  their  plans  for  Manuel  and  Sa- 
poya,  were  also  carried  out.  Boys  and  ponies 
became  a  prominent  contingent  to  the  corps  of 
cadets  under  my  military  instruction  during  the 
following  three  years. 

Later,  Henry  went  to  West  Point  and  became 
an  officer  of  the  army.  Frank  and  Manuel  went 
to  college,  the  former  becoming  a  distinguished 
civil  engineer  and  the  latter  a  prominent  busi 
ness  man.  Sapoya  closed  his  school  career  at 
Seabury,  and  rejoined  his  people  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  becoming  a  valued  and  respected  lead 
er  of  his  people. 

290 


CAPTURED    BY    THE    NAVAJOS 

On  a  beautiful  lawn  before  a  fine  mansion  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  Hudson  River,  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  stately  elm,  stands  a  small  monu 
ment,  upon  the  top  of  which  rests  a  finely  chis 
elled  model  of  a  setter  dog.  Beneath,  on  a  bronze 
tablet,  is  engraved: 

"BENEATH  THIS  STONE  LIES  VICTORIANA,  THE  LOVED 

AND  ESTEEMED  FRIEND  OF 
CHARLES  ALFRED  DUNCAN, 
FRANK  DOUGLAS  BURTON, 
BRENDA  ARNOLD  BURTON, 
HENRY  FRANCIS  BURTON, 
MANUEL  AUGUSTINE  PEREA  Y  LUNA, 
SAPOYA  SNOYGON  PEREA." 


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